'COVID-19 Impact' Nationwide Traffic Volume Drops for the First Time in 8 Years... Bus Usage Plummets 38%

Announcement of 2020 National Traffic Volume and Road Status Statistics... Significant Decrease Due to COVID-19 Impact

Traffic Volume by Vehicle Type

[Asia Economy Reporter Kangwook Cho] Due to the impact of COVID-19, nationwide traffic volume decreased by more than 1% last year. This is the first time in eight years since 2012 that the nationwide traffic volume, which had been increasing by about 2% annually over the past decade, has declined.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 25th, the average daily road traffic volume last year was 15,187 vehicles, down about 1.1% from the previous year (15,348 vehicles).

Over the past 10 years, road traffic volume has grown by about 1.7% annually. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it turned to a downward trend. The nationwide road traffic volume decreased for the first time in eight years since 2012 (-0.6%).

By vehicle type, traffic volume was in the order of passenger cars 72.2% > freight trucks 26.2% > buses 1.6%. Passenger cars decreased by 0.9%, and buses sharply dropped by 38.7%. On the other hand, freight truck traffic volume increased by 2.2%.

The decrease in bus traffic volume is analyzed to be due to social distancing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which significantly reduced charter bus operations for public transportation, tourism, and workshops compared to the previous year.

Conversely, freight truck traffic volume increased by 2.2% compared to the previous year, interpreted as a result of increased logistics transportation due to the concentration of the online distribution market caused by COVID-19.

By road type (average daily traffic volume), vehicle change rates were a 2.1% decrease on expressways, 0.7% decrease on national highways, and 0.8% decrease on nationally supported local roads, while local roads increased by 2.1%.

Monthly average daily traffic volume significantly decreased in February to April, August, and December, when COVID-19 was severe.

Looking at the monthly average daily traffic volume on expressways, January saw a 7.1% increase compared to the previous year, while February to April saw about a 10% decrease. In October, when social distancing was eased, there was a 3% increase compared to the previous year.

Similarly, national highways also experienced significant decreases in February to April, August, and December.

Comparing traffic volume by region, the average daily traffic volume nationwide in 2020 showed large decreases in Gyeongsangnam-do (2.5%↓ compared to the previous year), Chungcheongnam-do (2.1%↓), and Jeollanam-do (1.8%↓) due to the impact of COVID-19.

The total length of roads nationwide was 112,977 km, showing a steady increase trend (0.7%) with about 1,600 km added compared to the previous year.

If an adult walks all the roads nationwide, it would take about three years; in Seoul, it would take 80 days, and in Jeju-do, one would have to walk continuously for a month to complete a circuit.

Detailed road statistics can be found through the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Statistics Nuri (http://stat.molit.go.kr), Road Status Information System (http://www.rsis.kr), and Traffic Volume Information Provision System (http://www.road.re.kr).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.