Abstract
All countries have suffered from the COVID-19 crisis; the pandemic has adversely impacted all sectors. In this study, we examine the transport sector with a specific focus on the problem of commuting mode choice and propose a new decision-making approach for the alternative modes after synthesizing expert opinions. As a methodology, a customized model of the recently developed best–worst method (BWM) is used to evaluate mobility choice alternatives. The survey reflects citizens’ opinions toward mobility choices in two Italian cities, Palermo and Catania, before and during the pandemic. BWM is a useful tool for examining mobility choice in big cities. The adopted model is easy to apply and capable of providing effective solutions for sustainable mode choice. The urban context is analyzed considering the importance of transport choices, evaluating the variation of resilience to the changing opinions of users.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic has produced several unprecedented effects around the world and has adversely affected the transport sector, which has experienced a drastic reduction in passenger traffic across all different modes of transport
We focused on the best–worst method (BWM) methodology, which has been implemented in the literature in different sectors, as we considered it optimal for the analysis in the post-pandemic period in favor of the choice of optimal or strongly negative modes of transport in large cities
We identified differences in the transport mode split in Italy, similar to those observed in other countries, especially the increasing share of walking and car transport and the decreasing percentage of public transport use
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic has produced several unprecedented effects around the world and has adversely affected the transport sector, which has experienced a drastic reduction in passenger traffic across all different modes of transport. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) [3], the virus is respiratory and spreads mainly through contact with an infected person. Contact with droplets produced by infected subjects following sneezing or coughing is the key media spreading the virus. Transport modes are amongst the most critical platforms for the rapid spread of the infection in high-density and mixed-use urban environments. This aspect has manifested in the contemporary context where people move every day (on an average 2.5 journeys per day), covering an average distance of about 30 km, for various reasons (e.g., work, study, shopping, entertainment) with different modes of transport, including on foot, bicycle, public transport, and personal vehicle [4]
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