(Bloomberg Opinion) -- As much as commuters curse the grind of gridlock, and pedestrians the smog of pollution, empty streets suggest stagnant economies.
So some will be cheered by data from mapping company TomTom that illustrates levels of road congestion in cities such as Beijing, Geneva and Stockholm are returning to their pre-coronavirus levels.
Others, of course, will hope that governments around the world embrace this forced hiatus to make dramatic and lasting changes to street design — prioritizing walking, cycling and public transport, ending the contaminating hegemony of private cars.
This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.
Ben Schott is a Bloomberg Opinion visual columnist. He created the Schott's Original Miscellany and Schott's Almanac series, and writes for newspapers and magazines around the world.
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