New maps illustrate effect of stay-at-home order on Chicagoland traffic
Photo credit: HERE Technologies
CHICAGO - New maps released by HERE technologies show the severe drop in Chicagoland traffic compared to a normal weekday after Gov. Pritzker announced a stay-at-home order in Illinois.
The left side of the graphic shows traffic on Monday, February 24 at 8 a.m. in Chicago and the surrounding area. The right side shows traffic on Monday, March 23 at 8 a.m.
The decrease in traffic is obvious when comparing the two images, with red showing heavy traffic, yellow showing moderate traffic, and green showing no traffic.
Those who are still driving in many major cities have had a relatively easy time of it, with nearly empty highways in and around downtown and, according to data from TomTom Traffic, the drop is as substantial as it seems.
In New York on Monday morning, peak congestion was down 47 percent from its 2019 average, while Los Angeles saw a reduction of 51 percent and Seattle, the first U.S. city hard-hit by the virus, down 41 percent. Even Atlanta’s notoriously busy roads experienced 37 percent less congestion than usual.
As for how long the situation will last, it will be at least another week before most municipalities reevaluate their situations, while traffic in Wuhan, China, where the outbreak began late last year, is still down 50 percent, even as people have started returning to work and restrictions there continue to be eased.
The stay-at-home order in Illinois was implemented on Saturday, March 21 at 5 p.m due to the COVID-19 outbreak. It will continue until at least April 7.
FOX News contributed to this report.