Minnesotans have been doing their part to stay indoors in an attempt to flatten the coronavirus curve.
Just look out onto the nearly empty roadways. And if that’s not enough, a look through traffic data paints a picture of a state adhering to Gov. Tim Walz’s stay-at-home order as the number of cars on the road has sharply decreased over the past month with people staying indoors and working from home.
Data from the Minnesota Department of Transportation show traffic volumes on Tuesday were down nearly 40 percent compared with Tuesday averages from last March, and this Tuesday was down 10 percent from the Tuesday prior. On Monday, traffic volumes were down 35 percent compared with last year.
A benefit of staying indoors: MnDOT also reported 94 DWI arrests last weekend, compared with 293 during the same weekend in 2019.
The Metropolitan Council, using traffic data from MnDOT, has found the same trends in its analysis, plotting important events over the past month to show how each have an effect on traffic.
“It’s pretty clear from the data and it’s been obvious too from everywhere else that people are listening to the orders, they’re changing their behavior and really dramatically reducing their travel in the Twin Cities and in Minnesota,” said Nick Thompson, the Met Council’s director of metropolitan transportation services.
The state had its first positive case of COVID-19 on March 6. The Metropolitan Council’s graphic shows a decrease in traffic activity after the University of Minnesota suspended in-person classes the next week.
Traffic has continuously gone down since then, with a sharp decrease when Walz asked residents to cancel large gatherings and disallowed dining-in last month. The first day the stay-at-home order was in place, March 28, there was a 71 percent decrease in traffic in the metro area compared to normal and a 55 percent decrease across the state.
“For me, the most interesting thing was how consistent and clear the trend is over time that we’re seeing these decreases … one day after another day’s action takes place,” Met Council data scientist Ashley Asmus said. “…It’s just fascinating to see data that reflects what you see in the real world, too. My anecdotal experience of driving in the metro is being reflected in these data.”
