2 - Measuring transport equity: Key components, framings and metrics
Abstract
In this chapter, we recommend that the development of equity indicators should account for three components: (i) the benefits and burdens of interest, (ii) the population groups over which they are distributed; and (iii) a clear conception of what a “morally proper distribution” of benefit or burden should be. We present a simple framework of how to move from a general conceptualization of a benefit or burden to a more precise definition of suitable individual variables that can be subjected to an equity analysis. The assessment of equity also hinges on the identification of different population groups, along multiple dimensions that can represent advantage or disadvantage: income, gender, age, ethnicity, ability, and residential location. We end the chapter with an overview of the linchpin of an equity indicator: an explicit normative standard specifying what is desirable and what is not. Taken together, these three components are the ingredients of the equity indicators presented in the remaining chapters of this book.
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Are mass transit projects and public transport planning overlooking uneven distributional effects? Empirical evidence from Sao Paulo, Brazil
2024, Journal of Transport GeographyDespite the growing literature on equity and accessibility, little attention is placed on the shortcomings of the transport planning process in bridging the gap between research and practice. Urban mobility plans are usually not oriented towards increasing accessibility and reducing inequalities, and transport projects are traditionally selected based on utilitarian approaches that disregard the distributional effects of proposed actions and policies. This is problematic due to several reasons, including the legitimization of political choices that perpetuate existing inequalities. In this paper, we aim to analyze how different distributive principles in ex-ante evaluations may result in quite distinct conclusions in the policy decision-making process, highlighting the many limitations of the most commonly used transport planning toolkits. To do so, we use data from Sao Paulo's mass transit network expansion projects, which shows disparities among the proposed lines regarding their impacts on inequality levels. While some lines consistently contribute to reducing the difference in accessibility between rich and poor or between white and black populations, others increase the city's average, but at the expense of worsening inequalities. The systematic use of inequality metrics in planning procedures might represent significant progress in reducing transport-related inequalities compared to the predominant utilitarian criteria.
Enhancing flood-response commuting resilience via driving mechanism investigation: New evidence from Wuhan, China
2024, Travel Behaviour and SocietyIn the context of climate change, transportation resilience to flood threats has received significant attention. However, measures to improve practical resilience have not been addressed and elucidated. Various studies from the domains of disaster and transport have been devoted to commuting vulnerability analysis and transport network robustness assessment, whereas a systematic perspective is rarely used to analyze the damage mechanism of floods to the commuting system. To fill this research gap, we constructed an index system from the dimensions of hazard, transport network condition, and commuting pattern as driving factors of commuting risk during floods. The contribution to commuting loss was first assessed to guide intervention prioritization based on flood modeling and commute simulation. We adopted gradient boosting decision trees to examine the relationship between driving factors from three dimensions and commuting. The results of this study conducted in Wuhan indicate that the contribution rate of commuting pattern is the highest, followed by hazard, and finally road network conditions. The effective thresholds of the driving factors were also identified to guide urban governance. This study is a novel exploration of disaster impact mechanism that can provide new insights for the improvement of commuting resilience practices under climate change.
Analysis of spatiotemporal transit accessibility and transit inequity of essential services in low-density cities, a case study of Nashville, TN
2024, Transportation Research Part A: Policy and PracticeEvaluating the accessibility and equity of transit services to essential services that fulfill people’s fundamental needs is critical, especially in lower-density areas with limited transit services. Although numerous studies have analyzed the inequity of transit accessibility in dense, urban areas with robust transit networks, few of them evaluated transit inequity across multiple essential service categories (e.g., food stores, healthcare facilities, schools, etc.). This paper fills this research gap by focusing on a low-density, automobile-oriented city (Nashville, TN) to evaluate spatial transit inequities across essential service deserts and sociodemographic groups. The results of the case study show that many areas with higher transit-dependent demand (i.e., populations with limited personal vehicles, those living in poverty, and minority populations) tend to experience more restricted transit access to food, healthcare, school, and childcare facilities; interestingly, this is not the case for transit access to green space (specifically, parks). This study further identified essential service deserts by Local Indicator of Spatial Association (LISA) clustering and analyzed the correlation among them. The correlation results suggest that food deserts, healthcare deserts, school deserts, and childcare deserts are highly correlated with each other, while they have a lower correlation with park deserts. The findings of spatial transit inequity and the identification of essential service deserts provide crucial policy implications that can be used by transit agencies and local planning departments to prioritize their resources and target interventions to improve transit equity. This study contributes to the existing literature by proposing a systematic process that utilizes publicly available datasets to measure spatiotemporal transit supply, identify essential service deserts, and explore the correlation among these areas in a low-density city.
Factors influencing mode choice of adults with travel-limiting disability
2023, Journal of Transport and HealthDespite the plethora of research devoted to analyzing the impact of disability on travel behavior, not enough studies have investigated the varying impact of social and environmental factors on the mode choice of people with disabilities that restrict their ability to use transportation modes efficiently. This research gap can be addressed by investigating the factors influencing the mode choice behavior of people with travel-limiting disabilities, which can inform the development of accessible and sustainable transportation systems. Additionally, such studies can provide insights into the social and economic barriers faced by this population group, which can help policymakers to promote social inclusion and equity.
This study utilized a Random Parameters Logit model to identify the individual, trip, and environmental factors that influence mode selection among people with travel-limiting disabilities. Using the 2017 National Household Travel Survey data for New York State, which included information on respondents with travel-limiting disabilities, the analysis focused on a sample of 8,016 people. In addition, climate data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were integrated as additional explanatory variables in the modeling process.
The results revealed that people with disabilities may be inclined to travel longer distances walking in the absence of suitable accommodation facilities for other transportation modes. Furthermore, people were less inclined to walk during summer and winter, indicating a need to consider weather conditions as a significant determinant of mode choice. Moreover, low-income people with disabilities were more likely to rely on public transport or walking.
Based on this study's findings, transportation agencies could design infrastructure and plan for future expansions that is more inclusive and accessible, thus catering to the mobility needs of people with travel-limiting disabilities.
The inequality effects of public transport fare: The case of Lisbon's fare reform
2023, Journal of Transport GeographySpatial segregation of social groups within cities and inadequate transport conditions are frequently pointed to as major barriers to improving urban livelihood conditions for disadvantaged groups. For that reason, accessibility measures have increasingly been used as a tool to measure inequality. However, traditional accessibility measures fail to capture both travel costs and individual characteristics, which are central to equity. Therefore, in this paper, we discuss the importance of incorporating fare cost, fare affordability, and individual socio-economic characteristics of transport users into accessibility equity measurements. Given the April 2019 fare policy change introduced in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (LMA), this study examines how the fare restructuring, the integration of all public transport (PT) modes into a single pass with a maximum cost of 40€ per month, affects inequality levels. Using survey data collected in June and July 2020, we compare the self-reported trip modes and travel costs under Lisbon's previous and current public transport fare systems. We first define 4 benefits associated with the reform and calculate them for all survey respondents. We then used statistical analysis to determine which sociodemographic and locational groups benefited the most from the reform. Finally, using a pseudo-Palma ratio, we compare accessibility inequality levels for income and spatial subgroups before and after the fare price change.
Results show that fare reform had positive effects on commuter accessibility levels, when interpreted as the reduction of generalized costs. Income, age, gender, and transport modal choice were found to be the main characteristics that distinguish the most benefited groups, while other characteristics played a more modest role. These effects, when interpreted from a spatial perspective presented a clear positive association with public transport supply levels. Relative to the impact of the fare reform on equity of benefit distribution, results reinforce that price policies can reduce inequalities.
Scaling up active transportation across North America: A comparative content analysis of policies through a social equity framework
2023, Transportation Research Part A: Policy and PracticeFederal governments across North America are increasingly working to scale up active-transport investments to harmonize policy efforts aimed at addressing intersecting urban, environmental, and public-health problems. While such policies promise to provide increased support for cycling, walking, and other active mobilities, the extent to which central-government interventions can foster wide-reaching and equitable infrastructure transitions remains an open question. This paper offers a comparison of recent federal policy initiatives aimed at supporting the development of active-transport facilities across Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Using a comparative content-analysis approach, we analyse federal active-transport strategies in terms of policy development, goals, instruments, as well as social-equity and road-safety considerations. Findings indicate that policy instruments, development resources, and social-equity mechanisms vary considerably between the three countries. While Canada’s recent policies offer targeted project funding for active transport, its national road-safety vision lacks attention to social equity concerns. The United States’ policies emphasize large-scale infrastructure transitions, but risk deprioritizing active-transport projects within wider investments. Mexico’s new mobility and road safety law lacks infrastructure funding but leads in its human-rights approach. While these variances can be attributed to specific differences between national contexts, we posit that they also provide insights into shared challenges and opportunities in federal efforts aimed at providing comprehensive support for active-transport systems. Through a systematic content analysis of recent policies, this paper aims to provide an exploratory assessment of how federal governments are mobilizing diverse approaches to active-transport policymaking and to contribute to multi-scalar theorizing on transport equity and mobility justice.