Coronavirus pandemic

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I had posited in the roads closed thread about the question of pursuing stay at home offenders as a secondary violation. In Minnesota it appears this is indeed happening in cases as people stopped for drunk driving and other violations have also been hit with stay at home violations.

https://m.startribune.com/several-charged-across-state-with-violating-gov-walz-s-order-to-stay-home-amid-coronavirus-outbreak/569362232/

[Max Rockatansky]

This kind of makes me wonder, will we ever see the heavy traffic on the highways again? Or even heavy ridership on public transit. I'm hopeful that things return to what they were in some fashion in the future, but could enough things become permanent (such as working at home) that may make heavy rushes into a city center less necessary?

IMO the amount of people working from home will be cancelled out by those who will probably drive a car over piling onto mass transit.  To that end highway traffic I think will return to normal and mass transit will suffer for a couple years while outbreaks occasionally linger.  Beyond that it will be interesting to see if many communities are dead set on pushing mass transit alternatives as they are now. 

To that end some stuff in the work place that will probably gain a stronger hold:

-  Flexible sick hours and less fascist-like attendance policies. 
-  More white collar jobs will likely move to at-home or partially at home schedules. 
-  There will probably be an even more increased demand for jobs that were deemed essential during the pandemic.  Interestingly it seems a lot of blue collar jobs like farming seem to be holding up the best during all of this.
-  Companies might begin a slow move away from being totally urban centric. 

[ixnay]

This kind of makes me wonder, will we ever see the heavy traffic on the highways again? Or even heavy ridership on public transit.

This kind of makes me not wonder but want to link B.J. Thomas's other Bacharach/David hit (50 years ago on the heels of "Raindrops...").   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiLII1skGOU

Not all the lyrics fit the Covid situation accurately but some do.

ixnay

[74/171FAN]

To that end some stuff in the work place that will probably gain a stronger hold:

-  Flexible sick hours and less fascist-like attendance policies.
-  More white collar jobs will likely move to at-home or partially at home schedules.
-  There will probably be an even more increased demand for jobs that were deemed essential during the pandemic.  Interestingly it seems a lot of blue collar jobs like farming seem to be holding up the best during all of this.
-  Companies might begin a slow move away from being totally urban centric. 

I think that a first step for many office jobs should be the option of working from home in place of sick leave.  I have had many days over the years in which I have gone to work or school sick with mild symptoms because that was what I felt expected to do or that I would get behind quickly.  If am mildly sick, and I am fine enough to wake up and get on my computer, then I do not see why I could not productively work from home instead of potentially sickening others in the office if possible.

[Scott5114]

This kind of makes me wonder, will we ever see the heavy traffic on the highways again? Or even heavy ridership on public transit. I'm hopeful that things return to what they were in some fashion in the future, but could enough things become permanent (such as working at home) that may make heavy rushes into a city center less necessary?

IMO the amount of people working from home will be cancelled out by those who will probably drive a car over piling onto mass transit.  To that end highway traffic I think will return to normal and mass transit will suffer for a couple years while outbreaks occasionally linger.  Beyond that it will be interesting to see if many communities are dead set on pushing mass transit alternatives as they are now. 

To that end some stuff in the work place that will probably gain a stronger hold:

-  Flexible sick hours and less fascist-like attendance policies. 
-  More white collar jobs will likely move to at-home or partially at home schedules. 
-  There will probably be an even more increased demand for jobs that were deemed essential during the pandemic.  Interestingly it seems a lot of blue collar jobs like farming seem to be holding up the best during all of this.
-  Companies might begin a slow move away from being totally urban centric. 

I think we may see some permanent traffic decline due to people working from home, and realizing that if their home doesn't have to be tied to the location of their job, it can be wherever they want it to be. Some upper-class people have been "working from home" from vacation properties in Lake Tahoe or Montana. If work from home becomes the norm instead of a temporary thing, some people may decide to permanently relocate to smaller towns, preferring that lifestyle, or taking advantage of lower property values.

[webny99]

This kind of makes me wonder, will we ever see the heavy traffic on the highways again? Or even heavy ridership on public transit. I'm hopeful that things return to what they were in some fashion in the future, but could enough things become permanent (such as working at home) that may make heavy rushes into a city center less necessary?

IMO the amount of people working from home will be cancelled out by those who will probably drive a car over piling onto mass transit.  To that end highway traffic I think will return to normal and mass transit will suffer for a couple years while outbreaks occasionally linger.  Beyond that it will be interesting to see if many communities are dead set on pushing mass transit alternatives as they are now. 

I think it will be interesting, fascinating even, to watch what happens to traffic levels in the coming months. It's just wild to see the entire US basically traffic-free 24/7 now, and I just can't help but think that coronavirus is going to last longer than people are prepared to stay off the roads.

Obviously, the three biggest factors affecting traffic are (1) blue collar jobs, (2) white collar jobs, and (3) schools. (1) is still generating traffic in a very limited capacity, while (2) and (3) are basically generating no traffic at all right now. That isn't going to last forever, of course, so traffic levels at some point in the future are going to climb back into the ballpark of their pre-corona levels. The question is how gradual will it be (unknown) and will coronavirus start or accelerate longer-term trends in traffic patterns (likely).

Increased working from home was mentioned; that seems likely. But driving instead of flying on medium-length trips? Also likely. Reduced mass transit ridership? Also likely. So there's plenty of uncertainty about what the net impact on AADT volumes will be. But one thing's for sure: we are not going to be seeing NYC and LA and Seattle completely congestion-free at 4 PM for months and years on end, so enjoy it while it lasts!

[SSOWorld]

This kind of makes me wonder, will we ever see the heavy traffic on the highways again? Or even heavy ridership on public transit. I'm hopeful that things return to what they were in some fashion in the future, but could enough things become permanent (such as working at home) that may make heavy rushes into a city center less necessary?

IMO the amount of people working from home will be cancelled out by those who will probably drive a car over piling onto mass transit.  To that end highway traffic I think will return to normal and mass transit will suffer for a couple years while outbreaks occasionally linger.  Beyond that it will be interesting to see if many communities are dead set on pushing mass transit alternatives as they are now. 

I think it will be interesting, fascinating even, to watch what happens to traffic levels in the coming months. It's just wild to see the entire US basically traffic-free 24/7 now, and I just can't help but think that coronavirus is going to last longer than people are prepared to stay off the roads.

Obviously, the three biggest factors affecting traffic are (1) blue collar jobs, (2) white collar jobs, and (3) schools. (1) is still generating traffic in a very limited capacity, while (2) and (3) are basically generating no traffic at all right now. That isn't going to last forever, of course, so traffic levels at some point in the future are going to climb back into the ballpark of their pre-corona levels. The question is how gradual will it be (unknown) and will coronavirus start or accelerate longer-term trends in traffic patterns (likely).

Increased working from home was mentioned; that seems likely. But driving instead of flying on medium-length trips? Also likely. Reduced mass transit ridership? Also likely. So there's plenty of uncertainty about what the net impact on AADT volumes will be. But one thing's for sure: we are not going to be seeing NYC and LA and Seattle completely congestion-free at 4 PM for months and years on end, so enjoy it while it lasts!

No I won't, I'm driving into a petri dish.

[MikeTheActuary]

No I won't, I'm driving into a petri dish.

You would have been driving into a petri dish anyway.  The difference now is that you're consciously aware of the nature of the destination.

[nexus73]

Right now I am curious as to how the Hollywood Freeway and San Diego Freeway are doing?  Is it still very busy or is it like the earliest of morning hours on a holiday? 

Rick

[mgk920]

Does anyone know what Germany is doing differently from other European countries that is causing it to have a really good death:recovery ratio? Compare Germany's deaths to Italy, Spain, and France. (Iceland is doing even better with this ratio as I mentioned before, but there's a small sample size there.)

I would think that it is likely due to them counting such deaths as being due to their other serious/terminal conditions, coupled with advanced age, being the true causes of the deaths (ie, 'natural causes'), while this virus was simply the feather that pushed them over the edge.

I suspect that this also applies to other communicable illnesses, such as influenza.

Mike

[jeffandnicole]

Right now I am curious as to how the Hollywood Freeway and San Diego Freeway are doing?  Is it still very busy or is it like the earliest of morning hours on a holiday? 

Rick

I've been looking at traffic cameras online.

[GaryV]

I wonder how much of the traffic declines are due to WFH, and how much is due simply to people being out of work?  Hopefully traffic will increase again as people are allowed to go back to work.

Yes, there will be a new reality once we get to the other side of this virus.  But what that reality looks like isn't possible to discern today.

[Max Rockatansky]

Right now I am curious as to how the Hollywood Freeway and San Diego Freeway are doing?  Is it still very busy or is it like the earliest of morning hours on a holiday? 

Rick

I've been looking at traffic cameras online.

There has been a lot of pictures of I-405 as of late with little to no traffic during rush hour on California Highway groups on Facebook. 

[jeffandnicole]

Before the virus, there was no way I, or anyone within the organization, could have worked from home.  We needed to be in the office, communicating with people, getting to our files, etc.  We had laptops to get by for a day if the state was closed due to snow or other emergency, and I think there was some sort of plan to work in an offsite building if our building wasn't available.

Then the virus hit.  My section already had the tools available to work from home (our laptops).  We can remotely access our servers.  I have an extra monitor at home, and another computer, and could almost fully do my job without interruption. The only thing I didn't have was files in a filing cabinet, but I can get around that if needed.

When we'll finally be allowed to return to work, I hope that they allow us to work from home 1 or 2 days a week. Clearly we have shown it can be done...after years of being told it can't.

[AlexandriaVA]

When we'll finally be allowed to return to work, I hope that they allow us to work from home 1 or 2 days a week. Clearly we have shown it can be done...after years of being told it can't.

I think that's going to be a big change across the country for all sorts of white collar jobs. Expect to see a lot more vendors for remote working on the market after this (above what there already was)

[1995hoo]

[nexus73]

Right now I am curious as to how the Hollywood Freeway and San Diego Freeway are doing?  Is it still very busy or is it like the earliest of morning hours on a holiday? 

Rick

I've been looking at traffic cameras online.

There has been a lot of pictures of I-405 as of late with little to no traffic during rush hour on California Highway groups on Facebook. 

Wow!  When the 405 is quiet during rush hour, you know This Is A Serious Situation!  Back in 1986, the top part of a ship coming to dock in Coos Bay hit the McCullough Bridge.  There went 101's traffic in North Bend.  Since I lived in the north end of town at that time, I had a front row seat to a deserted highway.  That was spooky enough. 

We also had a sense of humor.  Stickers came out saying "The Ship Hit The Span!".

Rick

[Max Rockatansky]

Right now I am curious as to how the Hollywood Freeway and San Diego Freeway are doing?  Is it still very busy or is it like the earliest of morning hours on a holiday? 

Rick

I've been looking at traffic cameras online.

There has been a lot of pictures of I-405 as of late with little to no traffic during rush hour on California Highway groups on Facebook. 

Wow!  When the 405 is quiet during rush hour, you know This Is A Serious Situation!  Back in 1986, the top part of a ship coming to dock in Coos Bay hit the McCullough Bridge.  There went 101's traffic in North Bend.  Since I lived in the north end of town at that time, I had a front row seat to a deserted highway.  That was spooky enough. 

We also had a sense of humor.  Stickers came out saying "The Ship Hit The Span!".

Rick

I kind of question when a lot of those photos are being taken.  Even before the whole virus thing started I was able to get empty freeway photos out of the Bay Area and Los Angeles pretty easily at certain hours.  I posted a photo of I-280 in San Francisco which I took on a normal Sunday which was pretty much identical to a Virus-Time photo that was popular for about a week.  Freeways around Fresno have less volume but are far from empty. 

[Revive 755]

I think it will be interesting, fascinating even, to watch what happens to traffic levels in the coming months. It's just wild to see the entire US basically traffic-free 24/7 now, and I just can't help but think that coronavirus is going to last longer than people are prepared to stay off the roads.

The morning traffic reports for Chicagoland still have occasional congestion on NB I-55 approaching I-90/I-94 (possibly related to work at the Circle Interchange), and congestion on I-55 through the work zone south of the Des Plaines River in Will County.

[Max Rockatansky]

I think it will be interesting, fascinating even, to watch what happens to traffic levels in the coming months. It's just wild to see the entire US basically traffic-free 24/7 now, and I just can't help but think that coronavirus is going to last longer than people are prepared to stay off the roads.

The morning traffic reports for Chicagoland still have occasional congestion on NB I-55 approaching I-90/I-94 (possibly related to work at the Circle Interchange), and congestion on I-55 through the work zone south of the Des Plaines River in Will County.

Chicago is beyond help with traffic.  Even in the zombie apocalypse the undead would have the Kennedy Expressway backed up. 

[jeffandnicole]

Right now I am curious as to how the Hollywood Freeway and San Diego Freeway are doing?  Is it still very busy or is it like the earliest of morning hours on a holiday? 

Rick

I've been looking at traffic cameras online.

There has been a lot of pictures of I-405 as of late with little to no traffic during rush hour on California Highway groups on Facebook. 

Wow!  When the 405 is quiet during rush hour, you know This Is A Serious Situation!  Back in 1986, the top part of a ship coming to dock in Coos Bay hit the McCullough Bridge.  There went 101's traffic in North Bend.  Since I lived in the north end of town at that time, I had a front row seat to a deserted highway.  That was spooky enough. 

We also had a sense of humor.  Stickers came out saying "The Ship Hit The Span!".

Rick

I kind of question when a lot of those photos are being taken.  Even before the whole virus thing started I was able to get empty freeway photos out of the Bay Area and Los Angeles pretty easily at certain hours.  I posted a photo of I-280 in San Francisco which I took on a normal Sunday which was pretty much identical to a Virus-Time photo that was popular for about a week.  Freeways around Fresno have less volume but are far from empty. 

Agreed.  I've read various things online such as how much cleaner the air is now, yet a picture that has gotten a lot of attention shows plenty of smog.  There's nothing to really indicate the time or date of the pictures, and as much as people should have learned long ago that you shouldn't believe everything you see on the internet, people are quick to believe everything they see on the internet.

[Max Rockatansky]

Right now I am curious as to how the Hollywood Freeway and San Diego Freeway are doing?  Is it still very busy or is it like the earliest of morning hours on a holiday? 

Rick

I've been looking at traffic cameras online.

There has been a lot of pictures of I-405 as of late with little to no traffic during rush hour on California Highway groups on Facebook. 

Wow!  When the 405 is quiet during rush hour, you know This Is A Serious Situation!  Back in 1986, the top part of a ship coming to dock in Coos Bay hit the McCullough Bridge.  There went 101's traffic in North Bend.  Since I lived in the north end of town at that time, I had a front row seat to a deserted highway.  That was spooky enough. 

We also had a sense of humor.  Stickers came out saying "The Ship Hit The Span!".

Rick

I kind of question when a lot of those photos are being taken.  Even before the whole virus thing started I was able to get empty freeway photos out of the Bay Area and Los Angeles pretty easily at certain hours.  I posted a photo of I-280 in San Francisco which I took on a normal Sunday which was pretty much identical to a Virus-Time photo that was popular for about a week.  Freeways around Fresno have less volume but are far from empty. 

Agreed.  I've read various things online such as how much cleaner the air is now, yet a picture that has gotten a lot of attention shows plenty of smog.  There's nothing to really indicate the time or date of the pictures, and as much as people should have learned long ago that you shouldn't believe everything you see on the internet, people are quick to believe everything they see on the internet.

I can't speak for Los Angeles since I don't live there but the difference in air quality 200 miles north is about the same or nominally different for a rainy year.  The rain picking up into Spring probably is a bigger factor in clearing up the air quality.  Usually by this time of year the rain is gone and the snow pack is already melting.  There is more rain the forecast for this next week which I'm sure will keep the air particulate free for awhile longer.

Regarding Los Angeles, pollution control measures in cars in general have reduced the smog level significantly in the last couple decades.  I can't recall a time in recent memory on a sunny day I worked around L.A. where I couldn't see the San Gabriels. 

[LM117]

Without getting too far into political territory, the Democratic National Convention will begin on August 17 instead of July 13.

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/490811-democrats-to-delay-convention-until-august-sources

[1995hoo]

I went to the grocery store. Lots of clear signs saying not use this door. So guess what the three people walking towards the store in front of me did when they saw this.




I found a mask in my garage this morning. It was already out of the package, so it wasn't suitable for donating. Very uncomfortable to wear this, but I guess having the virus would be even more uncomfortable.

[AlexandriaVA]

Ft Belvoir Wegmans?