Private car usage returns to just below 2019 levels, CSO figures show

Car traffic volumes in Dublin in the last week of October were just 4 per cent lower than the comparable period in 2019 before the Covid pandemic, according to the latest CSO Transport Bulletin.

While regional traffic lagged slightly behind figures in the capital, there were signs that lower fares on public transport may have encouraged greater take-up, with bus journeys in Dublin at pre-pandemic levels and regional bus journeys 15 per cent above that benchmark.

While the gap in the numbers of motorists travelling before and after Covid lockdowns appears to be closing, the progression is not steady. An analysis of the CSO figures shows car volumes in Dublin were within three per cent in the week beginning October 3rd; and within 2 per cent of corresponding 2019 levels in the week beginning October 12th.

In August the car traffic volumes were within 3 per cent of corresponding 2019 levels. However in early October traffic volumes fell back to some 5 per cent of what they were in 2019, for a two-week period, before narrowing the gap again to 4 per cent.

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For regional traffic a broadly similar pattern occurred, with the volume of cars on the roads at the end of October being 8 per cent lower than the same week in 2019.

The data was compiled using figures collected by Transport Infrastructure Ireland, the Road Safety Authority, the National Transport Authority, Dublin City Council, the Office of the Revenue Commissioners, and the Department of Transport.

It shows that while car traffic has increased since the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions it continues to bubble along slightly below 2019 figures, while public transport usage has, in a number of areas, returned to pre-pandemic levels.

In terms of public transport, the number of bus journeys in Dublin for the week beginning 3rd October 2022 matched the number of journeys in the same week in 2019. The number of bus journeys outside Dublin exceeded 2019 figures by 15 per cent in the same week. The Irish Times has asked the National Transport Authority for data in relation to the impact of Minister Eamon Ryan’s initiative reducing fares, and an answer is anticipated.

There was no change in the number of Luas journeys in the last week of October compared with the corresponding week in 2019.

Irish Rail public journeys in the week beginning 24 October 2022, post Covid lockdowns, were 6 per cent lower than immediately pre-lockdown in 2020. The CSO said however it had “no comparable 2019 data available for rail” usage covering the Dart and other Irish Rail services..

The number of passenger-journeys at Dublin Airport in October 2022 was almost twice that of October 2021, but only 94 per cent of the level seen in the same month in 2019. There were 2,689,667 passenger-journeys handled by Dublin Airport in October 2022 compared with 253,972 for the same month in 2020. The CSO noted Knock airport was closed from April to June 2020 and from February to May 2021. It also noted Cork Airport was closed in October 2021. Data for Kerry and Shannon airports were not available at time of publication of the transport bulletin, the CSO said.

Heavy goods lorries which were not subject to the same restrictions as private cars during the pandemic saw numbers remain more stable over the last three years. At the end of October the average weekly volume of heavy goods vehicles at selected Dublin sites was 45,344, compared to 45, 342 in the comparable period of 2019. The Average weekly volume of heavy goods vehicles at selected regional sites, in the last week of October, was 16,284, compared to 15,743 in the similar period of 2019.

The CSO bulletin also showed there were 12 fatalities on Irish roads in October 2022 compared with 11 in the same month in 2021. There were 4,527 new private cars and 3,802 used (imported) private cars licensed in October 2022. There were 4,527 new private cars and 3,802 used (imported) private cars licensed in October 2022. Compared with October 2021, this was an increase of 17% for new private cars and a fall of 16% for used private cars.