Role of COVID-19 and motionless communication on expected trends of mobility: an evidence from Italian and Turin data

The 2020-2021 pandemic has changed everyday mobility for part of the world. One of the main elements of change is the consolidation of distance working, which further prompted communications without mobility. The emergency-induced reduction of systematic travel demand has been counterbalanced by the increased volume of web traffic. As a result, communications which formerly required mobility have been regularly performed virtually during the lockdowns. This paper quantifies this phenomenon, with a focus on the Italian city of Turin, in Italy, which was one of the first countries hit by COVID-19, soon after China. Local mobility data trends before and during the lockdown are presented and compared. Implications for the “new normal” ahead are discussed. The paper provides directions for further transport policies, with the aim of advancing knowledge of this transportation topic.