Consultation Response
Accessibility and Inclusion in Transport Planning consultation response
Our response to the London Assembly Transport Committee's investigation into accessibility and inclusion in transport planning
Summary
- Data on transport use is limited, however the most recent overview shows that women, Black and Asian people, Disabled people and those not in paid work or working part-time as less likely to cycle than white people, non-Disabled people, men and full-time workers, and women and part-time workers are more likely to walk.
- The TfL report on travel in London does not go into the demographics of other forms of transport or the reasons. The gendered division of domestic and caring responsibilities means women make more frequent, short journeys throughout the day, accompanied by those they care for, whereas men make fewer but longer journeys during peak hours.
- Radial planning that prioritises peak hour commutes fails to serve the mobility needs of women, children, teenagers, the elderly, informal workers and others with more varied journeys.
- Transport is largely framed as a technical issue that requires engineering, economic and technological skills and solutions. This reflects a technocratic paradigm, which privileges ‘technical’ over ‘social’ considerations.
- The technocratic paradigm creates barriers to women’s participation and leadership in the transport sector, as STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and economics are male-dominated fields.
- Enabling women, ethnic minorities and Disabled people to make more use of public transport and to participate in active travel is key to achieving climate goals. Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB) can support the Mayor of London’s ambitions to “Make London a fairer, greener, healthier and more prosperous city”.
- This is about doing budgeting and planning better to achieve improved outcomes by understanding the full implications of budget and policy decisions at any level of government or institution.
- There are lots of examples of good practice to draw on, we have provided several in the main body of this submission: Barcelona City Council, the City of Vienna, the Women’s Design Service, Leeds ‘women-friendly city’, and Women in Transport.