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. 2022 Sep:126:188-198.
doi: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2022.07.008. Epub 2022 Jul 20.

The effect of border closure on road potential accessibility in the regions of the EU-27. The case of the COVID-19 pandemic

Piotr Rosik  1 , Tomasz Komornicki  1 , Patryk Duma  1 , Sławomir Goliszek  1
Affiliations

The effect of border closure on road potential accessibility in the regions of the EU-27. The case of the COVID-19 pandemic

Piotr Rosik et al. Transp Policy (Oxf). 2022 Sep.

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to show how the national border closures within the EU-27 have an impact on changes in potential accessibility in individual transport at the NUTS3 level. We are referring to the situation that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in Europe in March 2020. The study distinguishes between long and short trips, comparing the situation before the pandemic with that after the complete closure of national borders by all EU countries, thus showing which areas of the EU will suffer from accessibility losses for both long and short trips. We conclude that the spatial pattern of regions at risk of peripheralisation for short trips well defines the zones in which a serious crisis threatens local cross-border commuting. The threat of peripheralisation for long trips mainly concerns those parts of countries which are closer to the demographic and economic core of the European Union. Nevertheless, it is also compounded by other factors: including the national settlement and road networks.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; EU-27; NUTS3; Peripheralisation; Potential accessibility.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Number of confirmed cases COVID-19 at the regional level; March 23, 2020.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Road accessibility EU-27 pattern for short and long trips.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Percentage and absolute potential accessibility losses in the EU-27 NUTS3 regions after the closure of national borders. Short and long trips.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
The population-population in neighbouring countries ratio vs the loss of accessibility after the closure of national borders.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Road travel time to the Blue Banana vs absolute accessibility loss (long trips) in the 14 most populous EU states (Belgium and Netherlands as well as other regions located in the Blue Banana are excluded; all islands on the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas also excluded). (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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