Pandemic cut traffic congestion in most countries last year - report

FILE PHOTO: A low volume of traffic is shown after the new regional stay-at-home order was announced during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in San Diego, California, U.S., December 9, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) - Coronavirus-induced lockdowns caused annual traffic congestion to fall in most countries for the first time in at least 10 years, disrupting long-held traffic patterns like the dreaded morning commute to work, a report released on Tuesday showed.

Congestion declined sharply on the gridlocked roads of crowded cities, including Los Angeles, Bengaluru and Mexico City in 2020, location technology company TomTom said. The pandemic is expected to weigh again on traffic congestion this year, said Nick Cohn, TomTom's senior traffic expert.