Post-Pandemic Travel Trends - Regional and Local Variations

When: November 6, 2025 | 3:00 -- 4:00 PM ET

This webinar is led by the ITE Traffic Engineering Council.

Webinar Description:

Traffic Engineering Council has been studying various travel trends that occurred during the COVID Pandemic. Now that the worst is three-plus years in the rearview mirror, it is evident that many travel trends have returned to near normal. It is also clear that some have not and that changes vary greatly depending on location, community type (urban vs suburban vs rural), previous mode split, state/local response to COVID-19, and many other factors.

ITE tasked the Traffic Engineering Council with identifying and assessing travel characteristics that have not yet returned to pre-COVID conditions. The effort quantifies the changes, identifies the implications to ITE and our industry, and develops a list of ways ITE needs to adjust and perhaps update manuals, processes and standard practices. The main part of this study focused on national trends. Factors considered included:

•Mode Share
•Traffic Volumes (hourly, daily, monthly, day of the week)
•Vehicle-Miles of Travel (VMT) and Recreational Trips
•Urban vs Suburban vs Rural
•Work from Home
•Changes in Auto Ownership and Drivers Licenses
•Safety

National trends were identified and presented in a webinar in 2024, as well as in an ITE Journal article this past May. The final part of this study is the focus of this webinar. During the initial research, it was apparent that some of the factors had significant regional and local variations where application of national trend data does not fit actual conditions. This webinar aims to present and discuss some of the more significant regional and local variations. It also will highlight implications to ITE and our industry.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the national trends in post-pandemic travel trends
• Recognize regional and local travel variations
• Understand the implications of these variations on their day-to-day work
• Apply these variations when preparing traffic and planning studies so that they better reflect actual travel trends

Moderator: Chuck Huffine, PE, National Practice Lead | Mead & Hunt | Lakewood Ranch, Florida, USA

Presenters:

• Ian Barnes, PE, Principal/Senior Market Leader | Fehr & Peers | San Francisco, California, USA
• Paul Villaluz, PE, PTOE, RSP1, DTM Senior Project Manager | Westwood Professional Services | Las Vegas, NV, USA