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THE IMPACTS OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON BEHAVIORAL CHANGES IN TRANSPORTATION ACTIVITY TO A FOREST RECREATION AREA AND CAUSALITY ANALYSIS IN TURKEY

With COVID-19, increased vehicle use for recreational purposes was observed. This study examines monthly changes in the number of transportation vehicles to a recreation area between 2018- 2019, compared to 2020 in Turkey. Also, based on 17 weeks of data between 1 June-27 September 2020, causality relationships were investigated between the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths and the number of vehicle entries to the recreation area using digital card payment. According to the results, in 2018-2019, a similar seasonal trend was observed in the total number of vehicles. However, the number doubled at the end of 2020. Also, results showed a causal relationship between the number of deaths caused by COVID-19 and the number of vehicles entering the forest recreation area. However, there was no relationship observed between the number of COVID-19 cases and the number of vehicles. Furthermore, a causal relationship was found between the number of times the digital card was used to pay fees and the number of cases, but not the number of deaths. Therefore, a general evaluation results of the study concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic affected activity in the forest recreation area, and thus, it should be considered a factor in transportation management.