The Specifics of Pro-Environmental Traffic Behavior of Metropolitan Residents under Risk Conditions (By the Example of the COVID-19 Pandemic)

Abstract

This article discusses the results of a pilot study of the traffic behavior of metropolitan residents associated with preferences for choosing more environmentally friendly modes of transport in a high-risk situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The study sample consisted of residents of Moscow and the Moscow region: 58 people (23 men and 35 women). Prepandemic and during-pandemic preferences were collected (scores were collected in the most acute lockdown situation), and data were collected 6 months after the pandemic (re-survey). Of the original sample, the number of respondents who completed the second survey was 29 people. The results of the pilot study showed that residents of the metropolis significantly limited their travel by public transport (as more convenient and more environmentally friendly) during the pandemic, preferring to use their own car. However, six months after the lifting of severe mobility restrictions and the reduction in the risk of COVID-19 infection (during the summer period), the choice in favor of public transport began to return to the pre-pandemic level. A po sitive trend was found in the preferences for using a bicycle as an active mode of transportation. The results obtained demonstrated the importance and necessity of: firstly, conducting comprehensive studies aimed at studying the preferences of more environmentally friendly modes of transport, and, secondly, developing measures aimed at gradually changing the patterns of pro-environmental behavior of the population of large cities. Such measures should become part of the state policy and individual local initiatives aimed at creating a pro-environmental consciousness that ensures a more optimal interaction between a person and the metropolis environment.