Consequences of Corona for Traffic: More Cycling Has Remained

Corona massively restricted mobility behavior in the short term and also changed it in the long term. As a result of measures to contain the pandemic, car traffic and the number of passengers in public transport decreased significantly, the mobility organization VCÖ reported upon request from the APA on the occasion of the start of the pandemic situation five years ago. What remains is a higher share of cycling and a lower share of car use, as well as more home office work affecting commuting.

In 2020, cars traveled 22.2 percent fewer kilometers on Austria's highways and expressways than in 2019 (from 29.024 billion kilometers to 22.586 billion kilometers), according to VCÖ data from Asfinag. Even in 2023, cars traveled 250 million kilometers less on the high-level road network than in 2019, despite the road network being slightly longer by 16 kilometers. It was only last year that the level from five years ago was reached. In the years before, car traffic on Austria's highways and expressways increased every year.

The overall decline in mobility on all roads also had positive effects on the number of traffic fatalities. With around 340 victims, 2020 recorded the lowest number since records began at the Ministry of the Interior in 1950. In 2024, after interim increases, the second-lowest death toll (349) was recorded.

Public transport was also heavily affected by the pandemic. In 2020, the number of passengers on Austria's railways decreased by 39 percent to 192.2 million, and the kilometers traveled by rail decreased by about 45 percent to 7.4 billion. However, by 2023, a new record was already reached, according to the VCÖ: With 328.4 million, the number of passengers was almost four percent higher than in 2019, and with 14.5 billion, eight percent more kilometers were traveled by rail than in the previous record year of 2019.

"The fact that more was traveled by rail in 2023 than in 2019 is also due to the climate ticket, which made rail travel more attractive and cheaper for many, especially for commuters," explained VCÖ expert Michael Schwendinger to the APA. In Vienna, where there has been an affordable annual public transport ticket since 2012, public transport has not yet reached pre-pandemic levels. In 2020, passenger numbers fell by 39 percent to 574 million. By 2023, they had increased by 218 million to 792 million, but were still 147 million below the record level of 2019. In Linz, the number of passengers in 2023 was 98.5 million, 13.5 million lower than in 2019.

The share of home office work is still higher than before the pandemic, which is slowing the increase in work-related commuting. Additionally, in recent years, the number of companies implementing mobility management has increased, thereby increasing the share of employees who commute to work using public transport, bicycles, and carpools.

It's different with travel and excursion traffic. Here, there is no longer a dampening factor present. On the contrary, the number of trips has increased massively. According to Statistics Austria, Austrians made a total of 27 million holiday trips in 2023, 5.8 million or 27 percent more than in 2019. Holiday trips by car increased by 23 percent to 16.4 million, while train journeys increased even more significantly by 63 percent to 4.1 million. "Whether this is catching up on missed trips or a long-term trend cannot be said today," emphasizes Schwendinger.

At Vienna Airport, there was a passenger record in 2024 with 31.7 million passengers. The figure was about 50,000 passengers above that of the pre- Corona year 2019. In March 2020, Austrian Airlines completely suspended their flight operations for several weeks, with only repatriation flights for Austrians stranded abroad.

For five federal states - Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, Vorarlberg - as well as Graz, St. Pölten, and the federal capital Vienna, mobility surveys are available for the time before and after the pandemic. "The mobility surveys of the federal states show a uniform development in two areas: Bicycle traffic has increased, the share of cars has decreased," summarized Schwendinger. In the state of Salzburg, the share of bicycle traffic in mobility increased from eleven percent in 2012 to 13 percent in 2022, in Upper Austria from 5.2 percent in 2012 to 6.7 percent in 2022, in Tyrol from eleven percent in 2011 to 14 percent in 2022, in Styria from six percent in 2014 to nine percent in 2024, and in Vorarlberg from 16 percent in 2017 to 22 percent in 2022.

The increase in bicycle traffic is also evident in Vienna, with a rise from seven percent in 2019 to ten percent in 2023. According to automatic bicycle traffic counts by the city of Vienna, the number of bicycle rides in 2024 increased by five percent compared to 2023. In Graz, the share of bicycle traffic in 2021 was higher at 20 percent than in 2018 (19 percent). Bicycle traffic counting stations, which already existed in 2021, also show a further increase in Graz, with the number of bicycle rides in 2024 being almost five percent higher than in 2021. In St. Pölten, the share of bicycle traffic increased from 14 percent in 2018 to 18 percent in 2024.

"During the pandemic, many discovered the bicycle as a means of transport to incorporate healthy movement into everyday life," recalls Schwendinger. With simultaneously less car traffic, cycling was perceived as more pleasant and safer. "Some have also changed their behavior in the long term and now cycle more frequently," explained the VCÖ expert. "Many European cities have shown during the pandemic that cycling infrastructure can be quickly improved through transport policy measures. To best exploit the trend towards cycling and especially the potential of electric bicycles in everyday life, Austria needs a cycling infrastructure offensive," Schwendinger recommended further improvements.

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