This article discusses the results of a pilot study of the traffic behavior of metropoli­tan residents associated with preferences for choosing more environmentally friendly modes of transport in a high-risk situation caused by the COVID-19 pan­demic. The study sample consisted of res­idents of Moscow and the Moscow region: 58 people (23 men and 35 women). Pre-pandemic and during-pandemic prefer­ences were collected (scores were collect­ed in the most acute lockdown situation), and data were collected 6 months after the pandemic (re-survey). Of the original sample, the number of respondents who completed the second survey was 29 peo­ple. The results of the pilot study showed that residents of the metropolis signifi­cantly limited their travel by public trans­port (as more convenient and more envi­ronmentally friendly) during the pandem­ic, preferring to use their own car. However, six months after the lifting of severe mobility restrictions and the reduction in the risk of COVID-19 infection (during the summer period), the choice in favor of public transport began to return to the pre-pandemic level. A positive trend was found in the preferences for using a bicycle as an active mode of transportation. The results obtained demonstrated the importance and necessity of: firstly, conducting comprehensive studies aimed at studying the preferences of more environmentally friendly modes of transport, and, secondly, developing measures aimed at gradually changing the ­­­patterns of pro-environmental behavior of the population of large cities. Such meas­ures should become part of the state poli­cy and individual local initiatives aimed at creating a pro-environmental con­sciousness that ensures a more optimal interaction between a person and the metropolis environment.