HYANNIS – During the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, traffic patterns have changed on Cape Cod.
The Cape Cod Commission recently released a study that shows that traffic over both the Bourne Bridge and Sagamore Bridge have dipped drastically since March 13.
Traffic on both bridges saw a 48% dip since April in comparison to last year, as locations across the Cape saw similar drops.
Traffic volumes over the bridges in May were also down 31% from 2019, according to Executive Director Kristy Senatori.
Memorial Day traffic brought no exception. Traffic across the bridges saw drops per day ranging from 22% on Friday and Monday to as much as 35% on Saturday.
The commission noted that Memorial Day traffic does change due to multiple factors, but the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on travel overall looks clear.
With that came less queuing, and data suggests that many people were coming to the area on Thursday and staying past the long weekend.
During a conference call with the Cape Cod Reopening Task Force, Senatori said that traffic trends do seem to be moving back in the other direction, however.
“What we’re finding now in early June is that we’re indicating a continued trend towards normal,” Senatori explained.
“The canal bridge volumes for the first weekend in June were down only about 10%.”
Bike and pedestrian traffic is being monitored by the Cape Cod Commission as well. Along the Cape Cod Rail Trail in Brewster, a bike path counter has been utilized.
“(We’re) seeing about 500 to 1,000 path users each day; the peak so far has been about 1,700 users,” Senatori said.
More information can be found at www.datacapecod.com.
About Brendan Fitzpatrick
