How coronavirus brought Southeast Asia’s megacities to a standstill

COVID-19

How coronavirus brought Southeast Asia’s megacities to a standstill

Strict lockdowns, school closures and restrictions on commerce to curb the coronavirus in Southeast Asian countries brought a rare respite from transport mayhem in some of the world’s most congested cities.

The changes were not equally dramatic everywhere as some countries imposed tougher controls than others to try to halt the virus.

Data from Southeast Asian ride-hailing firm Grab shows snapshots of traffic congestion before and during the curbs, delivering a stark, almost startling picture of how the crammed cities came to a halt.

The data collected from GPS location pings from Grab ride-hailing drivers also allows for comparative views of different cities.

Manila

PHILIPPINES

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 6-9 pm

Quezon

City

Valenzuela

MANILA

Manila Bay

2 km

Wednesday, March 25, 6-9 pm

Quezon

City

Valenzuela

MANILA

Manila Bay

Ninoy Aquino

International

Airport

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 6-9 pm

Wednesday, March 25, 6-9 pm

Quezon

City

Quezon

City

Valenzuela

Valenzuela

MANILA

MANILA

Manila Bay

Manila Bay

Ninoy Aquino

International

Airport

2 km

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 6-9 pm

Wednesday, March 25, 6-9 pm

Quezon

City

Quezon

City

Valenzuela

Valenzuela

Commonwealth

Avenue

Epifanio Delos Santos

Avenue (EDSA)

MANILA

MANILA

Manila Bay

Manila Bay

Ninoy Aquino

International

Airport

2 km

Wednesday, 15th January, 6-9 pm

Valenzuela

Quezon

City

MANILA

Manila Bay

2 km

Wednesday, 25th March, 6-9 pm

Quezon

City

Valenzuela

MANILA

Manila Bay

Ninoy Aquino

International

Airport

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 6-9 pm

Wednesday, March 25, 6-9 pm

Quezon

City

Quezon

City

Valenzuela

Valenzuela

Commonwealth Avenue

Epifanio Delos Santos

Avenue (EDSA)

MANILA

MANILA

Manila Bay

Manila Bay

Ninoy Aquino

International

Airport

Ninoy Aquino

International

Airport

2 km

In Manila, strict home quarantine has kept most of the bustling capital’s 3.5 million registered vehicles off the roads since mid-March and the lockdown has been extended to the end of May, which would stretch it beyond that in China’s central city of Wuhan, where the virus first emerged.

Despite its strict movement curbs, the Philippines has struggled to contain the spread compared to its slightly less populous neighbour, Vietnam.

Traffic jams normally cause daily business losses of an estimated $67 million in Manila, but the city’s chronically jammed Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) has been unusually quiet.

An average of 400,000 vehicles use EDSA on a typical day, the transport authority says, but tough lockdown laws in the Philippines have slashed traffic volume, the Grab data snapshots show.

Typical rush hour - March 25, 2019

Timelapse showing rush hour traffic along Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA), Manila. REUTERS

After restrictions - April 7, 2020

A Reuters crew timed its 23.8-km (15-mile) commute on April 7. It took just 20 minutes versus the normal time of more than two hours. Their route covered the EDSA from end to end.

The video footage below shows the difference in traffic on Commonwealth Avenue, the highway linking the centre of Metro Manila’s most populous areas to its northern suburbs, which also suffers notorious congestion.

Typical rush hour - March 25, 2019

Rush hour traffic along Commonwealth Avenue, Manila. REUTERS

After restrictions - April 7, 2020

Ho Chi Minh City

VIETNAM

Evening traffic is usually gridlocked across most of Ho Chi Minh city. However, snapshots three weeks apart at the same time on the same day of the week show very different pictures. During Vietnam’s lockdown there was no congestion at all, the Grab data shows. But that is starting to change already as Vietnam is easing restrictions earlier than most other countries.

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 6-9 pm

Saigon River

Thuan An

Di An

Airport

Ho Chi Minh

2 km

Wednesday, April 8, 6-9 pm

Saigon River

Thuan An

Di An

Nguyen Kiem

roundabout

Usually one of the

most congested

spots in the city

Airport

Ho Chi Minh

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 6-9 pm

Dau Mot

Saigon River

Thuan An

Di An

Airport

Ho Chi Minh

2 km

Wednesday, April 8, 6-9 pm

Dau Mot

Saigon River

Thuan An

Di An

Nguyen Kiem roundabout

Usually one of the most

congested spots in the city

Airport

District 1

Ho Chi Minh

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 6-9 pm

Wednesday, April 8, 6-9 pm

Dau Mot

Dau Mot

Saigon River

Saigon River

Thuan An

Thuan An

Di An

Di An

Airport

Airport

District 1

Ho Chi Minh

Ho Chi Minh

2 km

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 6-9 pm

Wednesday, April 8, 6-9 pm

Dau Mot

Dau Mot

Saigon River

Saigon River

Thuan An

Thuan An

Di An

Di An

Nguyen Kiem roundabout

Usually one of the most

congested spots in the city

Airport

Airport

District 1

Ho Chi Minh

Ho Chi Minh

2 km

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 6-9 pm

Wednesday, April 8, 6-9 pm

Dau Mot

Dau Mot

Saigon River

Saigon River

Thuan An

Thuan An

Di An

Di An

Nguyen Kiem roundabout

Usually one of the most

congested spots in the city

Airport

Airport

District 1

District 1

Ho Chi Minh

Ho Chi Minh

2 km

The country of 96 million which shares a border with China is signalling that it has succeeded in containing the virus, unlike many wealthier and more developed nations.

With the government officially reporting only a few cases and no deaths, the country is on course to revive its economy much sooner than most others, said several public health experts interviewed by Reuters.

Jakarta

INDONESIA

Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s biggest nation and the world’s fourth most populous, imposed fewer curbs than many neighbours despite having the largest regional death toll of about 1,000, with medical professionals saying they believe the true figure could be significantly higher.

The virus epicentre has been Jakarta, the capital, where city authorities declared a state of emergency on March 20, closing schools and encouraging employees to work from home, though traffic remained notably busier than in cities elsewhere.

Wednesday, Jan.15, 6-9 pm

Java Sea

JAKARTA

Central Jakarta

Airport

2 km

Wednesday, April 15, 6-9 pm

Java Sea

JAKARTA

Central Jakarta

Airport

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 6-9 pm

Java Sea

JAKARTA

National

monument

Central Jakarta

International Airport

2 km

Wednesday, April 15, 6-9 pm

Java Sea

JAKARTA

National

monument

Central Jakarta

International Airport

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 6-9 pm

Wednesday, April 15, 6-9 pm

Java Sea

Java Sea

JAKARTA

JAKARTA

National

monument

National

monument

Central Jakarta

Central Jakarta

International

Airport

International

Airport

2 km

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 6-9 pm

Wednesday, April 15, 6-9 pm

Java Sea

Java Sea

JAKARTA

National

monument

National

monument

JAKARTA

Central Jakarta

Central Jakarta

Halim Perdanakusuma

International Airport

Halim Perdanakusuma

International Airport

2 km

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 6-9 pm

Wednesday, April 15, 6-9 pm

Java Sea

Java Sea

JAKARTA

JAKARTA

National

monument

National

monument

Central Jakarta

Central Jakarta

Halim Perdanakusuma

International Airport

Halim Perdanakusuma

International Airport

2 km

Kuala Lumpur

MALAYSIA

Malaysia imposed a partial lockdown on March 18 after a surge of cases related to an event at a mosque. It only began to lift curbs this month with many businesses now allowed to operate if they comply with social distancing and other health conditions. Educational institutions remain closed, however.

Kuala Lumpur is known for peak-hour traffic snarl-ups with an average of half a million vehicles on its roads daily. The traffic is already mounting now that curbs have been eased.

Wednesday, Jan. 25, 6-9 pm

Sentul

KUALA LUMPUR

Bukit

Damansara

Bukit Bintang

Taman Maluri

Petaling Jaya

1 km

Wednesday, April 8, 6-9 pm

Sentul

KUALA LUMPUR

Bukit

Damansara

Bukit Bintang

Taman Maluri

Petaling Jaya

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 6-9 pm

Sentul

KUALA LUMPUR

Bukit

Damansara

Bukit Bintang

Taman Maluri

Petaling Jaya

1 km

Wednesday, April 8, 6-9 pm

Sentul

KUALA LUMPUR

Bukit

Damansara

Bukit Bintang

Taman Maluri

Petaling Jaya

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 6-9 pm

Wednesday, April 8, 6-9 pm

Sentul

Sentul

KUALA LUMPUR

KUALA LUMPUR

Bukit

Damansara

Bukit

Damansara

Bukit Bintang

Bukit Bintang

Taman Maluri

Taman Maluri

Petaling Jaya

Petaling Jaya

1 km

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 6-9 pm

Wednesday, April 8, 6-9 pm

Wangsa

Maju

Wangsa

Maju

Sentul

Sentul

KUALA LUMPUR

KUALA LUMPUR

Bukit

Damansara

Bukit

Damansara

Bukit Bintang

Bukit Bintang

Taman Maluri

Taman Maluri

Petaling Jaya

Petaling Jaya

1 km

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 6-9 pm

Wednesday, April 8, 6-9 pm

Wangsa

Maju

Wangsa

Maju

Sentul

Sentul

Taman Kepong

Taman Kepong

KUALA LUMPUR

KUALA LUMPUR

Taman Tun Dr.

Ismail

Taman Tun Dr.

Ismail

Bukit

Damansara

Bukit

Damansara

Bukit Bintang

Bukit Bintang

Pandan

Indah

Pandan

Indah

Taman Maluri

Taman Maluri

Petaling Jaya

Petaling Jaya

Taman

Connaught

Taman

Connaught

1 km

Singapore

Drops in traffic in the wealthy city-state of Singapore, which strictly controls the number of its vehicles, have been less noticeable. However, since shutting its borders in mid-March, there has been far less congestion near the northern causeway linking the island to Malaysia, one of the world’s busiest land crossings, and in the east at Changi Airport, a major international transit hub.

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 6-9 pm

MALAYSIA

Border

crossing

SINGAPORE

Changi

Airport

Downtown

Strait of

Singapore

2 km

Wednesday, April 15, 6-9 pm

MALAYSIA

SINGAPORE

Changi

Airport

Downtown

Strait of

Singapore

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 6-9 pm

Johor Bahru

Sembawang

MALAYSIA

Border

crossing

SINGAPORE

Tampines

Changi

Airport

Toa Payoh

Clementi

Downtown

Strait of

Singapore

2 km

Wednesday, April 15, 6-9 pm

Johor Bahru

MALAYSIA

Sembawang

SINGAPORE

Tampines

Changi

Airport

Toa Payoh

Clementi

Downtown

Strait of

Singapore

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 6-9 pm

Johor Bahru

MALAYSIA

Sembawang

Border

crossing

SINGAPORE

Ang Mo Kio

Tampines

Bukit Batok

Changi

Airport

Toa Payoh

Clementi

Downtown

Strait of

Singapore

2 km

Wednesday, April 15, 6-9 pm

Johor Bahru

Sembawang

SINGAPORE

Ang Mo Kio

Tampines

Bukit Batok

Changi

Airport

Toa Payoh

Clementi

Downtown

Strait of

Singapore

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 6-9 pm

Johor Bahru

MALAYSIA

Sembawang

Border

crossing

SINGAPORE

Ang Mo Kio

Tampines

Bukit Batok

Changi

Airport

Toa Payoh

Clementi

Downtown

Strait of

Singapore

2 km

Wednesday, April 15, 6-9 pm

Johor Bahru

Sembawang

SINGAPORE

Ang Mo Kio

Tampines

Bukit Batok

Changi

Airport

Toa Payoh

Clementi

Downtown

Strait of

Singapore

Singapore’s nationwide lockdown will run until June 1, and it has advised people to stay home except for essential neighbourhood trips.

By Simon Scarr, Hwei Wen Foo and Manas Sharma.

Additional editing by Matthew Tostevin and Clarence Fernandez.

Source

Grab

Note

A previous version of the article incorrectly labelled Halim Perdanakusuma airport. It has been corrected.