What have we learned about long-term structural change brought about by COVID-19 and working from home?

When 2020 began, we had no idea what was to unfold globally as we learnt about the Novel-Coronavirus in Wuhan, in the Hubei province of China. As this virus spread rapidly, it became a matter of time before many countries began to implement measures to try and contain the spread of the disease. COVID-19 as it is referred to, resulted in two main approaches to fighting the viral pandemic, either through a progressive set of measures to slow down the number of identified cases designed to ‘flatten the curve’ over time (anticipated to be at least six months), or to attack it by the severest of measures including a total lock-down and/or herding exposure to fast track ‘immunisation’ while we await a vaccine. The paper reports the findings from the first phase of an ongoing survey designed to identify the changing patterns in travel activity of Australian residents as a result of the stage 2 restrictions imposed by the Australian government. The main restrictions, in addition to social distancing of at least 1.5 m, are closure of entry to Australia (except residents returning), and closure of non-essential venues such as night clubs, restaurants, mass attendee sporting events, churches, weddings, and all social gatherings in any circumstance. With some employers encouraging working from home and others requiring it, in addition to job losses, and many children attending school online from home, the implications on travel activity is extreme. We identify the initial impacts associated with the first month of stricter social distancing measures introduced in Australia.

The unprecedented global shutdown that resulted from the COVID pandemic presents an opportunity to reconfigure future transport policy and practice for the benefit of the global environment and individual citizens alike. Before COVID, much of the emphasis in transport policy was on demand management, ‘smart’ technological interventions and sustainable mobility. The public health crisis has necessitated an urgent reconsideration of transport and its contribution to post-COVID economic recovery. In recognition of the importance of individual behaviour and collective responsibility in protecting both personal and public health during the crisis, this think piece proposes a new concept of Responsible Transport to help inform and shape transport policy and practice responses to COVID. The novelty of this proposal lies in the fact that it incorporates not only environmental considerations with respect to sustainability but also encompasses considerations of individual and community health and wellbeing. Moreover, it stresses the role of the individual as a responsible autonomous actor in delivering socially desired transport outcomes.