In indicator 1.7, average traffic per day on selected routes within the Gaum monitoringa area is monitored. The routes in question are Víkurskarð, the east end of the tunnel through Vaðlaheiði, the eastern section of the Ring Road, Fljótsheiði, Mývatnsheiði, the Northeast Road to and from Húsavík, the road through Tjörnes, and Dettifoss Road. Surveillance has been conducted on most of these routes since it began at the Gaum site.

During the first part of the surveillance period, traffic increased on all routes, growing steadily. This may be influenced by both an expected increase in tourist numbers in the area and construction activities in Þeistareykjar and Bakki. It is interesting to observe the traffic trends on Víkurskarð, which increased from 2013 to 2018, along with traffic on Vaðlaheiðargagn. The year 2019 marked the first full year of traffic recorded through Vaðlaheiðargagn. In 2016, about 300 more cars passed through Víkurskarð compared to the previous year, coinciding with the start of construction in Þeistareykjar and Bakki. Between 2017 and 2018, traffic growth slowed down, with 1,800 cars passing through Víkurskarð in 2017 compared to 1,807 cars in 2018. In 2019, Vaðlaheiðargagn was put into use, resulting in a decrease of 479 cars passing through Víkurskarð. The total number of vehicles passing through both routes was 1,954 that year. In 2022, 460 cars passed through Víkurskarð. However, in the two previous years, there was a decrease, with only 292 cars passing through in 2020. During the same period, fewer cars used Vaðlaheiðargagn compared to its first year of operation. In 2020, only 1,100 cars passed through Vaðlaheiðargagn. In 2022, 1,500 cars passed through Vaðlaheiðargagn, making a total of 1,960 cars passing through Víkurskarð and Vaðlaheiðargagn, nearly the same as in 2019 on these two routes combined.

Other routes show inconsistent development, with traffic increasing from the beginning of the surveillance period until 2019. In 2020, traffic decreased, and it began to rise again in 2021, reaching a level similar to that of 2018 by 2022. One route that stands out is Dettifoss Road, where traffic decreased from 2018 to 2020. It is likely that road construction and winter weather conditions had an impact on traffic there, in addition to the global COVID-19 pandemic.