Examining the Impacts of COVID-19 on Transport and Emissions in the Halifax Regional Municipality

Abstract

This thesis examines the impact of activity and mobility restrictions on business establishments, traffic, and emissions during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Halifax Regional Municipality. It initially investigates the economic loss of local business establishments in terms of sales using a latent class regression model which incorporates activity patterns from an activity-based travel demand model. Later it develops a modelling framework to estimate the changes in traffic and vehicular emissions during the lockdown and phased reopening scenarios. It develops a finer-grained travel demand model coupled with an emission model. One of the uniqueness of this study is that it considers both passenger cars and commercial vehicles within the modelling framework and estimates multiple types of air pollutants at the local level. The findings will assist transportation professionals in the future to develop transportation systems and policy implications, allowing them to be better prepared for unplanned disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic.