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The Role of Public Transport during the Second COVID-19 Wave in Italy

Author

Listed:
  • Armando Cartenì

    (Department of Engineering, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 81031 Caserta, Italy)

  • Luigi Di Francesco

    (Department of Engineering, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 81031 Caserta, Italy)

  • Ilaria Henke

    (Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80125 Napoli, Italy)

  • Teresa Valentina Marino

    (Department of Engineering, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 81031 Caserta, Italy)

  • Antonella Falanga

    (Department of Engineering, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 81031 Caserta, Italy)

Abstract

Lockdown policies applied worldwide to limit the spread of COVID-19, and mainly based on health considerations, have negatively impacted on public transport (PT) usage, suspected as a means for the virus spreading due to difficulties ensuring social distancing. This resulted not only in a setback to sustainable mobility, but also impacting on equity and social exclusion issues. The paper aimed to cover this topic, investigating the conjecture that the spread of the coronavirus is directly correlated to PT usage. A correlation analysis among the daily number of certified coronavirus cases and the PT trips measured in the day in which the contagions occurred was performed within the second wave in Italy. The appropriateness of the case study is twofold because Italy was one of the main European countries with a high mass contagion and because the vaccination campaign had not yet started in Italy. Estimation results show a high correlation (up to 0.87) between COVID-19 contagion and PT trips performed 22 days before. This threshold indicates that quarantine measures, commonly set at two weeks and based only on incubation considerations, were inadequate as a containment strategy, and may have produced a possible slowdown in identifying new cases and hence, in adopting mitigation policies. A cause–effect test was also implemented, concluding that there is a strong causal link between COVID-19 and PT trips. The main issues discussed in this research cover the transportation and the health filed but also laid the groundwork for ethical considerations concerning the right to mobility and social equity. Obtained results could yield significant insights into the context variables that influence the spread of the virus, also helping appropriate definition of restrictive policies, thereby ensuring a sustainable recovery and development of urban areas in the post-pandemic era.

Suggested Citation

  • Armando Cartenì & Luigi Di Francesco & Ilaria Henke & Teresa Valentina Marino & Antonella Falanga, 2021. "The Role of Public Transport during the Second COVID-19 Wave in Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-18, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:21:p:11905-:d:666561
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Beck, Matthew J. & Hensher, David A. & Nelson, John D., 2021. "Public transport trends in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic: An investigation of the influence of bio-security concerns on trip behaviour," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    2. Ilaria Henke & Armando Cartenì & Clorinda Molitierno & Assunta Errico, 2020. "Decision-Making in the Transport Sector: A Sustainable Evaluation Method for Road Infrastructure," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-19, January.
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    4. Daniel J McGrail & Jianli Dai & Kathleen M McAndrews & Raghu Kalluri, 2020. "Enacting national social distancing policies corresponds with dramatic reduction in COVID19 infection rates," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(7), pages 1-9, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Soheil Sohrabi & Fang Shu & Anika Gupta & Morteza Hossein Sabbaghian & Amirarsalan Mehrara Molan & Soheil Sajjadi, 2023. "Health Impacts of COVID-19 through the Changes in Mobility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-20, February.
    2. Oluwayemi-Oniya Aderibigbe & Trynos Gumbo, 2022. "Variations in Mode Choice of Residents Prior and during COVID-19: An Empirical Evidence from Johannesburg, South Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-18, December.
    3. Emma Strömblad & Lena Winslott Hiselius & Lena Smidfelt Rosqvist & Helena Svensson, 2021. "Adaptive Travel Behaviors to Cope with COVID-19: A Swedish Qualitative Study Focusing on Everyday Leisure Trips," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-17, November.
    4. Haiyan Liu & Jaeyoung Lee, 2023. "Contributing Factors to the Changes in Public and Private Transportation Mode Choice after the COVID-19 Outbreak in Urban Areas of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-21, March.
    5. Lukas Hartwig & Reinhard Hössinger & Yusak Octavius Susilo & Astrid Gühnemann, 2022. "The Impacts of a COVID-19 Related Lockdown (and Reopening Phases) on Time Use and Mobility for Activities in Austria—Results from a Multi-Wave Combined Survey," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-24, June.

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