During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, cities including Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles installed dedicated bus lanes within a matter of months.
To aid struggling restaurants, many cities eliminated parking spaces to allow curbside pickup zones for takeout and delivery. Communities closed off lanes or even whole streets to make space for pedestrian-only zones and for outdoor restaurant seating. Even before the pandemic, some cities were relaxing requirements that developers include parking with new construction.
Overall, the measures resulted in residents walking and cycling more. Combined with increased remote work and fewer people driving into cities, that curbed traffic congestion and the tailpipe emissions that contribute to climate change.
