Covid: Car use down as second lockdown takes effect

Car journeys on Britain's roads have fallen to about two-thirds of the usual level since the new English lockdown started, government figures show.

Recorded car traffic went down to 67% of the normal pre-pandemic volume when restrictions came in last Thursday, falling to 57% on Sunday, before rising to 70% on Monday.

During the previous lockdown the figure went as low as 22%.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has published daily figures since March.

Before the second lockdown, car journeys in Britain had recovered to about 80% to 90% of pre-pandemic levels.

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Under the new rules in England, scheduled to last until 2 December, people are asked to "avoid" non-essential travel, which was always likely to hit car use more than that of commercial vehicles.

But, unlike in March, schools have remained open, adding to morning and afternoon journeys.

Lorry traffic has not declined during lockdown

The DfT's statistics - published for Britain as a whole, rather than nation-by-nation - show recorded use of roads by heavy goods vehicles has not fallen.

Van journeys, however, are slightly down on pre-lockdown levels.

AA spokesman Luke Bosdet said: "One aspect of lockdown that has been repeated this second time is deserted evening roads, as closed pubs, restaurants and leisure facilities leave little reason for people to go out at night."

He warned that this was more likely to "lead to increased encounters between drivers and wildlife" lulled into "a false sense of security" by quieter roads, and asked motorists "to be more even more vigilant than usual".

The start of Wales's nine-day Covid "circuit-breaker", on 23 October, which also involved travel restrictions, was not accompanied by a sizeable overall drop in car use across Britain, the DfT's figures show.

There was, however, a slight dip during the following week - the half-term holiday for many parts of England and Wales.

Even central London was left largely traffic-free earlier in the spring

Transport Scotland's advice remains to continue working from home if possible and "stay local" when shopping and using services.

Under the five-tier system of restrictions for tackling Covid, which came into force in Scotland last week, areas at Level 4 - the highest - would have extra transport restrictions put in place. But no part of Scotland is yet within this category.

England accounts for roughly 87% of Britain's population, meaning changes in regulations there are likely to have a more significant effect on the overall DfT figure than any in Scotland or Wales.

The department's analysis is based on around 275 automatic traffic count sites.