FRANCE DATA: July road traffic at post-Covid peak, up 14 points from June

Quantum Commodity Intelligence – French vehicle traffic hit its highest level since the beginning of the pandemic in the first weeks of July, data from France's Ministry of Ecological Transition showed Wednesday.

All vehicle traffic was up 27% versus January-February 2020 levels in the first 12 days of July, up from 14% for the whole of June and 7% in May, according to the data.

The previous highest monthly total during the pandemic was recorded in August 2020, when traffic rose 19% versus early 2020 levels. Car usage typically increases sharply in the summer, as holidaymakers travel across the country.

The largest increases in July were seen in the Centre Val de Loire region, in the west of the country, which has been less affected by Covid-19 than other regions. Traffic was up 82% versus early 2020 levels. Mobility was up 63% in the Pays de la Loire region and 47% in the Bretagne region, also situated in the country's west.

The figures are only available from January 2020 onwards. They represent traffic at around 1,200 stations dotted around the country and cover about 12,000 kilometres of public roads, or a fifth of the country's road network.

Truck usage was up 19% compared with pre-pandemic levels in July, in line with the 21% rise seen in June, the same data showed.