by Mailys Garden
Mailys Garden is a board member of Women in Transport and a principal consultant at Momentum Transport Consultancy.
It is now a well-documented fact that women make up less than a fifth of the transport sector in the UK, whilst the most recent National Transport Survey has highlighted that women tend to undertake more trips, but for shorter distances. These are trips traditionally associated with shopping and/or education, which tend to be more local than commuting trips. As a result, these tend to be trips that rely either on private or active modes of transport, as opposed to more onerous transport infrastructure such as rail.
As the UK government recently announced a record £2m package of funding throughout the country for investments towards walking and cycling as part of the route to recovery during the COVID-19 crisis, I reflect here whether this is an opportunity to bridge the ‘mobility gender gap’.
On the one hand, the investment is directed towards active travel modes, and seems well aligned with improving needs related to different travel behaviours between men and women. Improving walking and cycling catchments can no doubt assist with trip chaining - a term used to describe the complex travel patterns which do not follow the rules of going from A to B and then back to A. The overwhelming imbalance of trip chaining by women, integrating small trips into a larger one such as caregiving on the way to employment, could potentially be made more convenient if those could be undertaken by safer and more attractive walking and cycling infrastructure.
On the other hand, Caroline Criado Perez, whose book ‘Invisible Women’ we recently discussed as part of the Women in Transport Book Club, has explained the data bias according to which our transport infrastructure is planned, designed and operated. With women being so severely under-represented in the sector, one wonders how decisions, which need to happen extremely quickly, will consider the extent to which one type of measure over another can potentially disadvantage women.
In short, there is no white or black answer to this question, and whilst time will tell whether, or to which extent, the long term impact of this investment has indeed contributed to bridging the mobility gender gap, it remains obvious that walking and cycling investments cannot be the only answer to assist women in their mobility needs. There is a wider requirement to think the way our urban areas are planned to make services more accessible, and within the reach of a walking or cycling trip.
Women in Transport is a non-profit network with a mission of advancing women working in transport. Annual membership of Women in Transport is £60 per year providing access to professional development and networking opportunities. We very much welcome guest blogs from our members - a great way to share the incredible diversity of opportunity in transport, raise your profile and connect with our community.
Follow us @transportwm on Twitter, on Linkedin at Women in Transport and at @transportwmn on Instagram for events, news and updates.