Variations of Travel Characteristics during COVID-19 Pandemic Using Vehicle Kilometer Travelled Estimates

Vehicle Kilometers Travelled (VKT) estimation and Personal Kilometer Travelled (PKT) can be considered as key parameters for investigating the travel characteristics. VKT estimates were done through a household travel survey using questionnaire forms and interviews during Covid-19 pandemic in Northern Province of Sri Lanka. The different vehicle usage in Northern Province based on different socio-demographic factors was obtained. The characteristics obtained from the analysis was compared with the similar study conducted before Covod-19 pandemic in 2017. When comparing VKT between years 2017 and 2020, it was found that statistically significant decrease from 2017 to 2020. However, a statistically significant difference on VKT was not observed among the sub-categories of females, unemployed people, and age groups of 15-24 and 45-54 years olds. Study on VKT variations is important for traffic growth estimation and to ensure operation of proper transport system.