EFFECTS OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON URBAN MOBILITY IN BAHÍA BLANCA (ARGENTINA) DURING THE SECOND SEMESTER OF 2020

YAMILA SOLEDAD GRASSI; NÉLIDA BEATRIZ BRIGNOLE; MÓNICA FÁTIMA DÍAZ

Congreso; XXXVII Congreso Interamericano Virtual de Ingeniería Sanitaría y Ambiental; 2021

Asociación Argentina de Ingeniería Sanitaria y Ciencias del Ambiente

This article analyzes the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on urban mobilityin the downtown area of Bahía Blanca city, Argentina. The traffic flow and thesegmentation of the vehicle fleet have been compiled by manual counting usingthe filmographic material generated by the security cameras of the localtownhall, during the second half of 2020. The generated data allow to obtain aninitial diagnosis of the changes in the type of mobility chosen by citizens, aswell as the variations that occurred in vehicular flow. The analysis revealedan increase in traffic flow in the month of December, which is consistent withthe gradual reopening of the lockdown. Besides, in the study of the extrememonths of the period, i.e. July and December 2020, an increase in the use ofmotorcycles and bicycles was detected, thus reducing the appearance of the car.Therefore, it can be inferred that the citizens migrated to another type ofcheaper mobility, and also more ecological and sustainable in the case ofbicycles.