Effect of Redesigning Public Shared Space Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic on Physical Distancing and Traffic Safety

The concept of redesigning public spaces to encourage physical distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic is being tested around the world. In Canada, municipalities are reallocating underutilized road lanes for active modes of transportation, such as walking and cycling. We evaluated the usage and benefit of these shared spaces to ensure redesign efforts are optimally allocated. We analyzed two sets of closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage before and after the change, covering April 7-13, 2020, at two locations using automated computer vision techniques. We detected and recorded physical distancing violations, traffic safety risks such as midblock crossing, speeds, and traffic conflicts, and generated trajectory maps of all road users. It was found that the redesign was utilized effectively by road users and improved physical distancing compliance without compromising traffic safety. The proposed framework also provides an innovative tool to automatically gather, extract, share, and analyze real-world data to improve response to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as future outbreaks of contagious diseases.