COVID-19: Keeping Things Moving
03/07/2020

COVID-19: Keeping Things Moving

As the Covid-19 pandemic unfolds, local authorities are stepping forward into the frontlines. This crisis is being tackled in our hospitals, but also in our streets and plazas, on our buses, trains and subways.

At Polis we want to help cities and regions navigate these difficult times. In this section of our website, we will collect examples of how local authorities are keeping things moving despite the Covid-19 crisis. We are showcasing both cities' and regions' responses during confinement measures and plans for after confinement measures have been lifted.

For an overview of useful resources, such as reports, tools and analyses, head to our page 'Useful resources on Covid-19 and mobility'.

For more information on Polis's response to COVID-19, please see our calls for support and recognition for the transport sector during the virus outbreak.

Madrid launches free bus services to transport health professionals to new temporary hospital

Madrid launches free bus services to transport health professionals to new temporary hospital

The city of Madrid has introduced a new free bus service connecting the city center with a new temporary hospital. The special service will provide free transport for health professionals and...Read more
Read more 24/03/2020
Berlin offers free bike sharing and cuts public transport to reduce spread of virus

Berlin offers free bike sharing and cuts public transport to reduce spread of virus

Due to the rising spread of the coronavirus, many commuters are choosing not to travel by bus or train. In response, Berlin has decided to offer free bike sharing as an additional publicly-funded alte...Read more
Read more 24/03/2020
Brussels adjusts public transport and parking; launches new information portal

Brussels adjusts public transport and parking; launches new information portal

To adapt to the crisis, Brussels' public transport company STIB is increasing frequencies of routes serving hospitals and care facilities, as well as increasing services at peak hours,whenthe majority...Read more
Read more 24/03/2020
Ile-de-France strengthens transport serving hospitals and health facilities

Ile-de-France strengthens transport serving hospitals and health facilities

To allow hospital staff to get to their workplace without difficulty, Île-de-France Mobilités and public transport operator RATP - in close collaboration with the AP-HP, the university hospital trus...Read more
Read more 24/03/2020
Combating COVID-19 on public transport: Lessons from Shenzhen

Combating COVID-19 on public transport: Lessons from Shenzhen

Public transport is being placed under enormous strain from the COVID-19 virus, having to deal with both massively reduced passenger numbers and ensuring high levels of safety and hygiene for those st...Read more
Read more 25/03/2020
London implements new measures to ensure transport of critical workers

London implements new measures to ensure transport of critical workers

Transport for London (TfL) is taking a range of measures to slow down the spread of the virus. First of all, Mayor Sadiq Khan (in line with advice from the UK Government) has given clear instructio...Read more
Read more 25/03/2020
Lisbon announces range of measures to keep city moving

Lisbon announces range of measures to keep city moving

Lisbon has recently announced a series of measures in urban mobility in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Portuguese city has announced a suite of measures to combat the spread of the virus, i...Read more
Read more 26/03/2020
English councils to provide free parking for health service staff

English councils to provide free parking for health service staff

Plans have been announced to free parking for all health service staff in England. The plans, announced today (26 March), come following an agreement between the English Councils, the Local Governm...Read more
Read more 26/03/2020
Rio de Janeiro steps up measures on mobility

Rio de Janeiro steps up measures on mobility

Rio de Janeiro has stepped up the introduction of changes and measures to the city's transport system to limit the spread of COVID-19. The Brazilian city has been implementing changes to its transp...Read more
Read more 26/03/2020
Gelderland sets out measures to support logistics industry

Gelderland sets out measures to support logistics industry

The COVID-19 outbreak is having major impacts on logistics entrepreneurs, both positively and negatively. In response, the Dutch province of Gelderland is collaborating with and bringing together tran...Read more
Read more 27/03/2020
French cities set out changes to parking arrangements

French cities set out changes to parking arrangements

Cities across France are making changes to parking arrangements in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Information published by Association des Ingénieurs Territoriaux de France (AITF) sets out...Read more
Read more 27/03/2020
New York City announces measures on taxis, shared mobility and cycling

New York City announces measures on taxis, shared mobility and cycling

New York City has set out several announcements in recent days to adapt transport in the city to respond to COVID-19. Shared electric moped company Revel is offering free use of vehicles for health...Read more
Read more 27/03/2020
Glasgow launches free bike-sharing for health workers

Glasgow launches free bike-sharing for health workers

Glasgow has announced a partnership to provide free access to bike-sharing for all health workers in the city. Free nextbike memberships and e-bike rides are being given to National Health Service...Read more
Read more 30/03/2020
Calls for Canadian cities to close streets to traffic to aid COVID-19 response

Calls for Canadian cities to close streets to traffic to aid COVID-19 response

There have been calls for two Canadian cities to explore the potential of closing streets to vehicles to provide more space for pedestrians and cyclists to aid the cities' response to the COVID-19 pan...Read more
Read more 31/03/2020
Australia launches automated pedestrian crossings to reduce virus spread

Australia launches automated pedestrian crossings to reduce virus spread

Cities across Australia are rolling out automated pedestrian crossings to reduce the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus. Sydney last week announced that all pedestrian crossings and traffic light...Read more
Read more 01/04/2020
Bogotá launches safe cycle lanes and deploys free e-bikes for health workers

Bogotá launches safe cycle lanes and deploys free e-bikes for health workers

COVID-19 is shutting down urban transportation networks around the world. But to “flatten the curve” and save lives, critical frontline health workers still need to get to work. In Bogotá, Col...Read more
Read more 01/04/2020
Munich taxi firms offer free travel for health workers

Munich taxi firms offer free travel for health workers

Medical personnel are at the front-lines of the struggle against coronavirus. With ensuring that these people can safely get where they need to be being paramount to tackling the spread of the vir...Read more
Read more 02/04/2020
Milan suspends UVAR and provides tests for public transport drivers

Milan suspends UVAR and provides tests for public transport drivers

Milan has suspended two areas of its Urban Vehicle Access Regulation (UVAR) scheme as part of a wider effort to keep the city moving during the COVID-19 crisis. Vehicle access rules for areas B and...Read more
Read more 02/04/2020
Barcelona launches ‘solidarity buses’ to transport COVID-19 patients

Barcelona launches ‘solidarity buses’ to transport COVID-19 patients

Barcelona's city transport system has launched a new service of 'solidarity buses' to transfer COVID-19 patients to secure facilities. Transfers of patients with Covid-19 are now under way, using T...Read more
Read more 08/04/2020
Manchester launches free metro offer for health and social workers

Manchester launches free metro offer for health and social workers

Tram services across Greater Manchester will be free for National Health Service (NHS) workers and social workers from 10 April. The offer was launched to support these key workers at a challenging...Read more
Read more 08/04/2020
Data from Rome reveals changing travel during COVID-19

Data from Rome reveals changing travel during COVID-19

Italy has been heavily affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and Italian cities have felt major impacts from the virus, including in mobility. In response to the virus outbreak, cities have been implem...Read more
Read more 08/04/2020
Budapest launches temporary bike lanes to get city moving

Budapest launches temporary bike lanes to get city moving

The Municipality of Budapest has decided to establish temporary bicycle lanes for several key routes around the city. The capital’s aim with this decision is to provide its residents with an alt...Read more
Read more 14/04/2020
New Zealand invests in pop-up bike lanes and safer streets during lockdown

New Zealand invests in pop-up bike lanes and safer streets during lockdown

New Zealand has announced new plans have been announced to fund the creation of pop-up bike lanes and safer streets to help people move around during lockdown measures in the country. The measures,...Read more
Read more 14/04/2020
Rotterdam uses camera car for compliance with corona rules

Rotterdam uses camera car for compliance with corona rules

To enforce compliance with the rules regarding group formation and to keep sufficient distance, the municipality of Rotterdam is using two Arvoo camera cars. The camera cars will be used specifical...Read more
Read more 14/04/2020
London council to block cars to protect citizens from speeding drivers

London council to block cars to protect citizens from speeding drivers

An east London council has announced plans to protect people in local neighbourhoods by blocking off certain streets to general traffic. The plan would see low-cost 'filtering' measures implemented...Read more
Read more 16/04/2020
France investigates potential to make bicycle main mode of travel after lockdown

France investigates potential to make bicycle main mode of travel after lockdown

Plans are being formulated to make cycling a main mode of travel to get people moving after lockdown measures end in France. According to newspaper reports, Pierre Serne, who was formerly in charge...Read more
Read more 16/04/2020
Aarhus: Open real-time traffic data reveals changes during social distancing

Aarhus: Open real-time traffic data reveals changes during social distancing

Denmark has been partially shut down in recent weeks due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Open data from Aarhus, Denmark’s second-largest city, show that traffic has been halved during this period of socia...Read more
Read more 16/04/2020
Medellín rolls out robots for food delivery

Medellín rolls out robots for food delivery

Medellín has rolled out a number of robots to help deliver food during the COVID-19 outbreak. The Colombian city implemented the innovative measure to provide new options for the restaurant commu...Read more
Read more 17/04/2020
Auckland drops parking charges and launches new bus safety app

Auckland drops parking charges and launches new bus safety app

Auckland has announced plans to adapt their transport system to help keep things moving during the COVID-19 outbreak. The New Zealand city has dropped parking charges across the city to allow those...Read more
Read more 20/04/2020
Italian cities seek to retain temporary bike lanes after lockdown

Italian cities seek to retain temporary bike lanes after lockdown

Italian cities have announced plans to keep temporary bike lanes in place after lockdown measures are lifted. Cities across the world have implemented temporary bike lanes in response to the COVID-...Read more
Read more 20/04/2020
Milan proposes post-COVID plans for walking and cycling

Milan proposes post-COVID plans for walking and cycling

Milan has announced ambitious plans to reallocate space for walking and cycling in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The 'Strade Aperte' plan, announced on Tuesday 21st April, will see 35km of str...Read more
Read more 21/04/2020
Dublin cuts parking space to prioritise pedestrians

Dublin cuts parking space to prioritise pedestrians

Dublin City Council has announced plans to cut road space to give more space to pedestrians during the coronavirus pandemic. To allow people to walk and cycle more easily in the city and to make soci...Read more
Read more 21/04/2020
England eases rules on banning traffic to aid social distancing

England eases rules on banning traffic to aid social distancing

English councils are set to benefit from a loosening of rules around banning traffic from streets in an effort to encourage social distancing. Regulations around applying for street closures will b...Read more
Read more 21/04/2020
Spain to provide masks for key workers on public transport

Spain to provide masks for key workers on public transport

Key workers in Spain who depend on public transport are set to receive millions of face masks to stop the spread of COVID-19. The measure from the Spanish Government will see 10 million face masks...Read more
Read more 21/04/2020
Ile-de-France plans post-confinement mobility changes

Ile-de-France plans post-confinement mobility changes

Ile-de-France Mobilités has announced plans to adapt the region's transport system in preparation for the lifting of confinement measures. The post-confinement plan is underpinned by several key pri...Read more
Read more 22/04/2020
New York to introduce legislation to open up streets

New York to introduce legislation to open up streets

New York City Council is set to introduce legislation to open up streets to pedestrians and cyclists during the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision to open up streets will allow citizens to walk and cy...Read more
Read more 22/04/2020
Madrid reopens public bike hire

Madrid reopens public bike hire

Madrid has announced the re-opening of its public bike hire scheme after a closure of more than one month. Madrid City Council reopened the BiciMAD on April 22. The Madrid Municipal Transport Compa...Read more
Read more 23/04/2020
Île-de-France prepares network of pop-up bike lanes for post-confinement

Île-de-France prepares network of pop-up bike lanes for post-confinement

Île-de-France has announced plans to roll out a network of pop-up bike lanes in preparation for the easing of confinement measures. The plans will see 650 kilometres of pop-up 'corona cycleways' c...Read more
Read more 23/04/2020
London launches new measures to reduce spread of virus

London launches new measures to reduce spread of virus

London has announced new measures to adapt its transport system in response to the ever-changing conditions of COVID-19. In recent weeks the British capital has been formulating new plans to respon...Read more
Read more 27/04/2020
Vilnius plans more public space for bars and restaurants

Vilnius plans more public space for bars and restaurants

Vilnius has announced plans to give over public space to hard bars and restaurants to allow outdoor seating whilst still observing physical distancing rules. The Lithuanian capital is allowing cafe...Read more
Read more 28/04/2020
New York to open 40 miles of streets to pedestrians and cyclists

New York to open 40 miles of streets to pedestrians and cyclists

Plans have been announced to close off 40 miles of streets across New York to provide space for walking and cycling. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the plans as part of a proposal to create 100 mil...Read more
Read more 28/04/2020
Brussels announces 20km/h limits and expanded bike network

Brussels announces 20km/h limits and expanded bike network

Brussels has announced a suite of measures to give more space to pedestrians and cyclists in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Belgian capital last week announced that lower vehicle speed limi...Read more
Read more 29/04/2020
Scotland commits £10 million for pop-up cycleways and footpaths

Scotland commits £10 million for pop-up cycleways and footpaths

The Scottish Government has announced that £10 million will be made available to create temporary bike lanes and widened footpaths in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The plans, revealed yesterd...Read more
Read more 29/04/2020
London to fast-track mass walking and cycling network

London to fast-track mass walking and cycling network

Plans are in place for a major transformation of safe walking and cycle routes across London, it was revealed last week. With public transport capacity severely reduced, it is estimated that up to...Read more
Read more 03/05/2020
Bologna speeds up bike network roll-out

Bologna speeds up bike network roll-out

Bologna has announced plans to speed up the implementation of a large bike network across the city in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The 'Bicipolitana' network, announced last week by the metro...Read more
Read more 03/05/2020
France announces €20 million to get people cycling

France announces €20 million to get people cycling

The French government has announced plans to support and encourage cycling as lockdown measures are eased across the country. With public transport limited, many cities are concerned about a large-...Read more
Read more 03/05/2020
New South Wales announces funding for pop-up street improvements

New South Wales announces funding for pop-up street improvements

The Government of New South Wales has announced new funding to support temporary measures to improve shared street spaces during COVID-19. The program will provide funding for councils to undertake...Read more
Read more 10/05/2020
UK Government announces £2 billion for England in ‘new era for walking and cycling’

UK Government announces £2 billion for England in ‘new era for walking and cycling’

Pop-up bike lanes with protected space for cycling, wider pavements, safer junctions, and cycle and bus-only corridors will be created in England within weeks as part of a £250 million emergency acti...Read more
Read more 10/05/2020
UK Government to fast-tracked e-scooters to tackle COVID-19

UK Government to fast-tracked e-scooters to tackle COVID-19

Electric scooter trials will be fast-tracked in England as part of a bid to get people back to work using alternatives to public transport after the lockdown. The government will bring forward trials...Read more
Read more 10/05/2020
Edinburgh announces action plan for safe walking and cycling

Edinburgh announces action plan for safe walking and cycling

Edinburgh has announced a new action plan to make streets safe for walking and cycling during the coronavirus outbreak. The 'Creating Safe Spaces for Walking and Cycling' report sets out a range of p...Read more
Read more 11/05/2020
Manchester announces £5 million for safe walking and cycling

Manchester announces £5 million for safe walking and cycling

Council leaders across the Greater Manchester area have committed to creating enhanced space for pedestrians and people on bikes across the city-region, to enable people to keep their distance for saf...Read more
Read more 12/05/2020
London Borough Hounslow announces measures to improve road safety and help social distancing

London Borough Hounslow announces measures to improve road safety and help social distancing

A range of traffic-management measures are being rolled out across the London Borough of Hounslow to keep pedestrians and cyclists healthy and safe during the coronavirus pandemic. The projects, wh...Read more
Read more 13/05/2020
Catalonia launches app to show passengers bus occupancy levels

Catalonia launches app to show passengers bus occupancy levels

The Government of Catalonia has launched an app to inform passengers about bus occupancy levels. The new Autocorb app will informed citizens of the occupancy of approaching buses in real time. The...Read more
Read more 13/05/2020
London announces car-free zones as congestion charge returns

London announces car-free zones as congestion charge returns

London has announced plans for car-free zones in key parts of its centre as part of a major transformation of the capital as the UK prepares to ease travel restrictions. Streets in the city centre,...Read more
Read more 15/05/2020
Auckland launches Innovating Streets projects

Auckland launches Innovating Streets projects

Auckland Council’s Emergency Committee has endorsed Auckland Transport (AT) to take part in Innovating Streets for People pilot fund. The successful projects range from safer streets outside sch...Read more
Read more 17/05/2020
Flemish Government creates fund for local walking and cycling improvements

Flemish Government creates fund for local walking and cycling improvements

The Flemish Government has launched a fund to support municipalities in making local improvements for walking and cycling. The Government has introduced this fund in response to the COVID-19 outbre...Read more
Read more 17/05/2020
Catalonia launches public transport campaign for post-lockdown travel

Catalonia launches public transport campaign for post-lockdown travel

The Government of Catalonia has launched a new public transport campaign as the region prepares for the next phase of the COVID-19 outbreak. The campaign aims to inform the 7.5 million citizens in Ca...Read more
Read more 18/05/2020
Athens city centre to go car-free for three months

Athens city centre to go car-free for three months

Cars will be banned from the historical center of Athens for three months from mid-June in order to provide more space to pedestrians in view of the need for physical distancing, according to a join...Read more
Read more 25/05/2020
Dublin publishes mobility recovery plan

Dublin publishes mobility recovery plan

Dublin City Council (DCC) and the National Transport Authority (NTA) of a framework of proposals to address the new and urgent needs relating to commercial activity and mobility in Dublin City Centre,...Read more
Read more 26/05/2020
Bordeaux unveils emergency cycling plan

Bordeaux unveils emergency cycling plan

Bordeaux has announced a plan to roll out emergency cycling infrastructure in response to the COVID-19 crisis. With physical distancing rules in place and public transport limited, many cities are...Read more
Read more 29/05/2020
Glasgow receives funding for active travel infrastructure to tackle COVID-19

Glasgow receives funding for active travel infrastructure to tackle COVID-19

Glasgow City Council has received funding to support new active travel infrastructure in the city. The Scottish city has been awarded £3.5 million from Sustrans Scotland to support the city's Spac...Read more
Read more 29/05/2020
Madrid announces suite of public transport measures as city recovers from COVID

Madrid announces suite of public transport measures as city recovers from COVID

Madrid has announced a range of public transport measures to respond to the ongoing restrictions from COVID-19. The new plans include a 'de-escalation plan' for EMT (the city's public transport ope...Read more
Read more 29/05/2020
Glasgow converts a third of parking spaces for social distancing

Glasgow converts a third of parking spaces for social distancing

Glasgow is to suspend roughly a third of its on-street parking spaces to provide more space for social distancing. The move is part of an initiative by the city council to create around 25km (15 mile...Read more
Read more 05/06/2020
Lisbon launches new measures to put people first post-lockdown

Lisbon launches new measures to put people first post-lockdown

Lisbon has announced new measures to support walking and cycling as lockdown measures begin to ease. A suite of plans have been announced, with a specific focus on cycling. Plans include over 30 mi...Read more
Read more 05/06/2020
Germany agrees recovery package with focus on e-mobility

Germany agrees recovery package with focus on e-mobility

Germany has this week agreed an economic stimulus package to speed up the country's recovery from COVID-19. The package includes support for the the electric vehicle sector, including a subsidy of...Read more
Read more 05/06/2020
Madrid announces new e-bikes to keep city moving post-lockdown

Madrid announces new e-bikes to keep city moving post-lockdown

Madrid has announced a range of new measures to support urban mobility as lockdown begins to ease in the Spanish capital. This week it was announced that nearly 5,000 electric bikes will be distrib...Read more
Read more 05/06/2020
Hackney to roll out new School Streets

Hackney to roll out new School Streets

The London Borough of Hackney is to ban traffic outside primary schools during opening and closing times from September. The Schools Streets scheme is receiving £350,000 from Transport for London...Read more
Read more 22/06/2020
Madrid offers financial support for citizens to buy bikes

Madrid offers financial support for citizens to buy bikes

Madrid has recently announced a financial package to support citizens to buy non-polluting vehicles. The measure aims to encourage the purchase of electric vehicles and promote zero-emission mobili...Read more
Read more 22/06/2020
30 English Councils planning e-scooter pilots

30 English Councils planning e-scooter pilots

English councils are preparing to launch shared e-scooter schemes following signals from the UK Department for Transport that restrictions on the use of the scooters will be eased. The Department for...Read more
Read more 22/06/2020
Rotterdam launches new initiative for post-lockdown recovery

Rotterdam launches new initiative for post-lockdown recovery

Rotterdam has launched a new initiative to help the city emerge stronger from the COVID-19 crisis. The 'Sterker door' initiative ('Stronger ahead') has been launched by the municipality, covering t...Read more
Read more 22/06/2020
Île-de-France launches collaborative service to smooth demand at peak hours

Île-de-France launches collaborative service to smooth demand at peak hours

The Île-de-France has launched a collaborative service to smooth travel demand at peak hours in public transport In light of continuing restrictions on public transport, and new-found routines of...Read more
Read more 22/06/2020
Glasgow and Edinburgh launch temporary free bike-share

Glasgow and Edinburgh launch temporary free bike-share

Edinburgh and Glasgow have launched free bike-share services to encourage people to consider cycling for everyday journeys. The initiative comes into effect as COVID-19 restrictions are eased to he...Read more
Read more 03/07/2020
Beşiktaş launches new anti-stress campaign

Beşiktaş launches new anti-stress campaign

Beşiktaş Municipality launched an 'Anti-Stress Campaign' during the transition to the 'New Normal' period within the context of the fight against Covid-19. Within the scope of the movement that star...Read more
Read more 03/07/2020