Copyright (c) 2010 Institute of Transport Studies, Monash University All rights reserved. http://www.sortclearinghouse.info Recent documents in Social Research in Transport (SORT) Clearinghouse en-us Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:44:34 PST 3600 http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/520 http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/520 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:32:58 PST This paper examines the equity and welfare implications of four differing principles of public transport provision and demonstrates by means of graphs and a case study (based on a hypothetical population distribution) the quite different patterns of provision to which the principles give rise. The principles examined are: formal equality, substantive equality, least social cost and profit maximization. Alan Hay Transport policy - Disadvantage Transport services - Affordability Transport services - Availability Transport services - Cost http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/519 http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/519 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:32:56 PST This paper presents an analysis exploring self-reported measures of transport disadvantage and how these relate to social exclusion and well-being in Melbourne, Australia. A sample of 535 individuals sourced from a household survey explores ratings of 18 types of transport problems. The questionnaire also measured social exclusion represented in five dimensions including income, unemployment, political engagement, participation in activities and social support networks. Well-being was also measured adopting standard psychological measures of 'Satisfaction with Life', 'Personal Well-being Index,' 'Positive Affect' and 'Negative Affect'. A factor analysis of self-reported transport difficulties identified four statistically significant sub-scales ('transport disadvantage', 'transit disadvantage', 'Vulnerable/Impaired' and 'rely on others') which together account for 57% of the variance in the responses. Analysis established that those with high self-reported transport problems were more likely to be located in fringe and remote parts of the city and lived in areas where it was not possible to walk to a local shop. However all groups made an average number of trips per day (except the 'Vulnerable/Impaired' group which make fewer trips) suggesting that self-reported transport disadvantage is unrelated to realised mobility. Analysis further established that only the 'Vulnerable/Impaired' group was associated with social exclusion and that they also had the lowest values of well-being compared to other groups. Overall findings confirm the methodological concerns associated with the use of self-reported measures of transport problems as a basis for defining transport disadvantage. The majority of those with high self-reported transport problems did not travel less than the survey sample as a whole and they were not associated with social exclusion. However the 'Vulnerable/Impaired' group was the exception, displaying a significantly higher association with social exclusion and lower well-being. The findings suggest which aspects of transport disadvantage are likely to be of greater concern for social policy. A concentration of research and policy on issues and social groups associated with the 'Vulnerable/Impaired' factor would be more effective in reducing social exclusion. Transport problems associated with this group including physical access to transport, knowing where to go and feeling safe from theft or attack when travelling may deserve higher priorities for attention. In addition those associated with the 'Vulnerable/Impaired' factor including older retired females and those who are more likely to be looking after someone with an illness or disability are clearly a high risk group and should warrant positive discrimination in transport and social policy. Alexa Delbosc Social Issues - Well being Social Issues - Social exclusion Transport policy - Transport disadvantage Population - Single parents Population - Young people Mobility - Disabled http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/518 http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/518 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:32:53 PST This study uses GIS to examine the constrained daily geographies of working poor women in order to assist transportation planners in understanding underserved populations and identifying gaps in transit service. Through interviews and travel diaries, I have uncovered constraints on daily travel in a sprawling, medium-size American city (Knoxville, Tennessee). This study undermines the too-optimistic assumptions generated by analyses of aggregate-level data, in that the transition from welfare to work will not be as smooth, nor as uniform, as aggregate data indicate. Based on this research, I recommend increased investment in car ownership and related assistance. Access to cars will not only increase working poor women's daily mobilities, but also their job opportunities, overall earnings, and - ultimately - their successful and permanent transitions from welfare to sufficient and satisfying work. Jennifer Rogalsky Population - Employed Location - USA Population - Single parents Modes of Transport - Bus Transport accessibility - Access to vehicles http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/517 http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/517 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:32:51 PST In recent years, the framework of 'classical' objective determinants of travel behaviour - such as transport systems, generalised travel costs, life situation and the built environment - has begun to make way for the introduction of subjective elements including attitudes, lifestyles, and location preferences. This paper presents findings from an empirical study of trip distances travelled for three purposes (work, maintenance, leisure). The study was conducted in the region of Cologne, and the analysis is based on structural equation modelling. The results indicate that, in general, neither lifestyles nor location preferences have a strong impact on trip distances, except for leisure activities: here lifestyle has the strongest impact of all variables studied. Maintenance trip distances are significantly affected by the spatial setting in which people live, indicating the relevance of the built environment for this travel segment. Joachim Scheiner Location - Europe Transport accessibility - Access to vehicles Location - Land planning http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/516 http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/516 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:32:49 PST Transportation scholars are challenging traditional formulations of the spatial mismatch hypothesis because previous studies have disregarded the considerable difference between travel modes. This case study of the Detroit metropolitan region uses 2000 census data and a gravity-based model of transportation accessibility to test differences in access to jobs among places and people, and provides support for recent calls for reconceptualizing spatial mismatch. It shows that even though Detroit experiences the greatest distance between African Americans and jobs of any region in the country, most central city neighborhoods offer an advantage in accessibility to jobs compared to most other places in the metropolitan region - as long as a resident has a car. Policies aimed at helping carless people gain access to automobiles may be an effective means of improving the employment outcomes of inner-city residents. Joe Grengs Social Issues - Poverty Transport accessibility - Access to vehicles Location - USA Population - Unemployed http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/515 http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/515 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:32:47 PST This paper briefly reviews the inexorable rise of the social exclusion policy paradigm and uses an adaptation of Amartya Sen's theory of entitlement to determine appropriate policy responses. In particular, the promotion by the UK Department for Transport of accessibility planning is examined. Although this initiative is not totally without merit, the resulting analysis may be too aggregate, both spatially and socially. The weakness of such an approach is that transport-related social exclusion is not always a socially and spatially concentrated process. Instead we suggest a matrix of area accessibility, area mobility and individual mobility as a possible schema for identifying concentrated and scattered manifestations of social exclusion and inclusion and for suggesting appropriate policy responses. This schema helps produce a more spatially and socially differentiated conceptualisation of social exclusion, helps identify policy responses and most critically highlights that the problems of the socially excluded immobile should not be analysed in isolation from the socially included mobile. John Preston Social Issues - Social exclusion Social Issues - social inclusion Modes of Transport - Bus Transport planning - Accessibility planning http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/514 http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/514 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:32:45 PST This paper introduces a mobility dimension to social exclusion, suggesting a strong correlation between a lack of access to adequate mobility and lack of access to opportunities, social networks, goods and services. This correlation exists as both a cause and consequence of social exclusion. The authors question the likelihood that increased physical mobility, by car or public transport, can, by itself, provide a fully viable or sustainable solution to mobility-related aspects of social exclusion. This paper cautiously suggests that the use of information and communications technologies could enable a new, virtual mobility, enabling an Internet-based increase in accessibility as an alternative to an increase in physical mobility. Finally, consideration is given to the possibility of a virtual mobility-related dimension of exclusion and to the possible social implications of inclusion of virtual mobility in an integrated transport strategy. Susan Kenyon Social Issues - Low Income Social Issues - Poverty Social Issues - Social exclusion Transport accessibility - Lack of access http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/513 http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/513 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:32:43 PST One of the core commitments of rural development is to ensure social integration whereby all people get the opportunity to realise their full human potential. Despite this, there is still poor regard given to how people live and work in rural areas and how economic and social policies impact on their quality of life. Using the example of the Republic of Ireland, this paper explores how rural development policies are being undermined by other policy instruments (specifically transport) which have a contradictory impact and, rather than relieve rural disadvantage, further compound the exclusion of some sectors of rural society. Assessing rural development and transport policy instruments; trends emerging from the most recent 2002 Census Data; and case study evidence relating to the rural transport initiative (RTI) in the Republic of Ireland, this paper confirms the lack of integrated policy thinking and in some circumstances the exacerbation of further rural disadvantage. John McDonagh Location - Rural Location - UK Social Issues - Social exclusion Social Issues - Low Income Transport policy - Disadvantage http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/512 http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/512 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:32:41 PST This article analyses the relationship between daily mobility and labour market exclusion. In many areas of the Barcelona Metropolitan Region, the predominant car-based mobility model and the secondary role of public transport discriminate against non-car users when it comes to job opportunities. This territory's capacity to generate labour market inclusion is analysed based on multi-functionality and the level of public transport services which, in turn, serve as a basis for three territorial classifications: non-excluding, semi-excluding and excluding. Àngel Cebollada Location - Europe Population - Gender Population - Young people Transport accessibility - Lack of access Social Issues - Social exclusion http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/511 http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/511 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:32:39 PST This paper concerns a research project to identify spatial gaps in public transport provision for people who are socially disadvantaged. The paper outlines the research context for measurement of public transport supply and needs, and then describes the methodology developed for an application in Melbourne, Australia. Results of the application are described including key findings on spatial gaps in services relative to social needs. The research identifies significant gaps between services supplied and social needs for transport services. Consistency of these findings with research in other Australian cities are noted. Implications for policy development are suggested. Graham Currie Transport policy - Transport disadvantage Location - Outer suburbs Modes of Transport - Bus Transport policy - Transport poverty http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/510 http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/510 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:32:37 PST Accessibility has become established as a mainstream policy goal in the service of the UK Government's aims of achieving greater social inclusion and social justice. It is argued that a better understanding of the relationship between conceptualisations of accessibility and these policy aims would be of value in understanding the potential of accessibility to contribute to policy. The aim of this paper is to contribute to this understanding. The paper discusses a conceptual framework placing accessibility centrally in the social justice and social inclusion agenda. The location of the idea of accessibility in the rural context, and as a 'rural challenge', is traced. Its relationship with welfare geography, and its essentially normative nature, are discussed, and connections with need are made. It is suggested that there is not just one account, either of what, in terms of accessibility, people 'need', or what they experience. Neither can there be just one account of what accessibility people 'should have'. The ideas of 'absolute' and 'relative' accessibility are referred to. A 'nested' framework is set out which relates social inclusion and accessibility, in turn, to social justice. Alternative philosophies of social justice are explored, and accessibility is discussed in the contexts of philosophical positions on needs, rights, wants and deserts. The development of accessibility as a policy element is analysed. Setting greater accessibility as a goal is a potentially powerful driver of policy because it requires that policy sectors interact: otherwise the goal of achieving greater accessibility as a means of greater social inclusion and social justice cannot be fully attained. It is concluded that the new narrative of accessibility, if itself soundly conceptualised, is a sine qua non for the social justice project. John Farrington Location - Rural Social Issues - Social exclusion Social Issues - social inclusion Transport planning - Accessibility planning Transport policy - Transport poverty http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/509 http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/509 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:32:34 PST This paper presents findings from an evaluation of transport to employment (T2E) in rural Highland Scotland. T2E is a centrally co-ordinated shared transport service which provides access to workplace, training and childcare where no alternative transport is available. The paper assesses the social as well as economic impacts on the local community through social return on investment (SROI) analysis. Measurable social benefits were found to outweigh the investment by 3:1 suggesting the concept to be a viable solution in a climate where public transport options are limited and typically restricted by low density and dispersed populations and challenging conditions for delivery. Steve Wright Location - Remote Location - Rural Location - UK Modes of Transport - Taxi Transport policy - Transport poverty Population - Young people http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/508 http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/508 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:32:32 PST This paper discusses concessions that are arranged by the government for social policy reasons, and the groups that are eligible include retired or older people, and disabled people. Such concessions are required of public transport operators by government and in Britain, operators (or, in London, Transport for London) are reimbursed for revenue lost and, in some cases also the additional costs incurred, as a result of carrying such passengers. Tom Rye Modes of Transport - Bus Population - Elderly Social Issues - social inclusion Public transport - Service frequency Mobility - Disabled http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/507 http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/507 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:32:30 PST The objective of this paper is to investigate the factors that influence distance traveled by individuals in Canadian urban areas, with a particular focus on three population segments thought to face the risk of mobility challenges: the elderly, low-income people, and members of single-parent households. Data obtained for three large urban centers - Hamilton, Toronto, and Montreal - are analyzed using spatial expansion models, a technique used to obtain spatially-varying coefficients that help to tease out contextual person-location variations in travel behavior. Detailed geographical results help to enhance our understanding of the spatiality of travel behavior of the population segments of interest. Substantively, the results provide evidence of significant interactions between location, various demographic factors, and mobility tools. More specifically, the results evince patterns of mobility that are significantly different from the mainstream population, particularly in suburban settings, in ways that are indicative of mobility challenges. Catherine Morency Population - Elderly Population - Single parents Social Issues - Low Income http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/506 http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/506 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:32:27 PST Australia belongs to a small group of countries that are low density but affluent, and characterised by very high vehicle ownership levels but very little public transport in rural areas. It is widely believed that there are few problems of mobility and accessibility, apart from long distances, because everyone has a car. A literature review generally confirms this perception, although there are hardly any suitable local case studies. An analysis of the rural areas of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia sought indicators of transport-related problems, using mainly census data. While the basic urban/rural distinction is clearly defined, within the rural areas patterns of vehicle ownership are unusual, and in the remotest areas are not as high as would be expected. Relationships with socio-economic variables are not consistent. Accessibility measures are incorporated in the analysis, and a travel needs index suggested. Appropriate case studies are required to establish travel behaviour patterns and the responses of disadvantaged groups. Stephen Nutley Location - Rural Modes of Transport - Car - Driver Location - Remote Transport accessibility - Lack of access