Sydney’s public transport patronage is slowly recovering from the COVID-19 lockdown but road traffic is returning to pre-pandemic levels, and some days even exceeding it.
“We are seeing a bit of a shift, people are spreading the peaks more in terms of driving around Sydney, less people cramming themselves onto those motorways at 7am.”Mr Collins said the increase in road traffic was likely a combination of people re-timing their days as well as new work arrangements. “A lot of people are still nervous to use public transport or have got used to driving, so that’s also why we’re seeing these levels," Dr Clifton said.
However, about 6 per cent of the city’s public transport services are exceeding social distancing requirements each day, prompting Transport Minister Andrew Constance to again plead for people to wear masks on the network.