Abstract
This study provides a rapid desk-based review of the evidence on the equity and
inclusion outcomes of technological, behavioural and policy innovations in the UK transport system to 2040. The report takes as its building block the report from the Social Exclusion Unit (SEU) (2003), which first identified the important links between unequal mobility and inability to access jobs, education, training, healthcare, affordable food and leisure opportunities in the UK.
The review has involved:
i) A review of the published literatures from 2002-2018 pertaining to a) current
transport and accessibility inequalities in the UK and b) scenarios that consider
potential future inequalities arising from the uptake of new mobility technologies and future transport systems.
ii) Basic trend analysis of relevant national survey datasets to identify current
distributions of travel by income, age, gender and disability, and the accessibility outcomes of these distributions.
iii) Qualitative evaluation of the likely impacts of different future scenarios on the
distributions of mobility and accessibility in the UK to 2040 based on a workshop with researchers at the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds.
iv) Recommendations about the potential for greater social inclusion within the UK transport system, based on evidence of good practices from elsewhere.
Our review has identified that the published academic and policy evidence for this specific topic is quite sparse. Much of the future scenario and visioning work that was reviewed for this report does not explicitly consider the consequences of future transport innovations on current inequalities. This a serious problem because the review shows that many people in the UK may not be able to access important local services and activities, such as jobs, learning, healthcare, food shopping or leisure as a result of a lack of adequate transport
provision. Problems with transport and poor links to opportunity destinations can also contribute to social isolation, by preventing full participation in these life-enhancing opportunities. The worst effects of road traffic can also lead to reduced quality of life due to high levels of exposure to pedestrian casualties and fatalities, and traffic-related air and noise pollution, especially in dense urban areas. As such, we recommend that more evidence and dedicated research is urgently needed to assess the differential impacts of new and emerging transport technologies and innovations across different social groups and places. Based on the evidence we have reviewed, we recommend that carefully designed policy interventions are needed to ensure that the current inequalities in mobility and accessibility do not deepen and widen.
inclusion outcomes of technological, behavioural and policy innovations in the UK transport system to 2040. The report takes as its building block the report from the Social Exclusion Unit (SEU) (2003), which first identified the important links between unequal mobility and inability to access jobs, education, training, healthcare, affordable food and leisure opportunities in the UK.
The review has involved:
i) A review of the published literatures from 2002-2018 pertaining to a) current
transport and accessibility inequalities in the UK and b) scenarios that consider
potential future inequalities arising from the uptake of new mobility technologies and future transport systems.
ii) Basic trend analysis of relevant national survey datasets to identify current
distributions of travel by income, age, gender and disability, and the accessibility outcomes of these distributions.
iii) Qualitative evaluation of the likely impacts of different future scenarios on the
distributions of mobility and accessibility in the UK to 2040 based on a workshop with researchers at the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds.
iv) Recommendations about the potential for greater social inclusion within the UK transport system, based on evidence of good practices from elsewhere.
Our review has identified that the published academic and policy evidence for this specific topic is quite sparse. Much of the future scenario and visioning work that was reviewed for this report does not explicitly consider the consequences of future transport innovations on current inequalities. This a serious problem because the review shows that many people in the UK may not be able to access important local services and activities, such as jobs, learning, healthcare, food shopping or leisure as a result of a lack of adequate transport
provision. Problems with transport and poor links to opportunity destinations can also contribute to social isolation, by preventing full participation in these life-enhancing opportunities. The worst effects of road traffic can also lead to reduced quality of life due to high levels of exposure to pedestrian casualties and fatalities, and traffic-related air and noise pollution, especially in dense urban areas. As such, we recommend that more evidence and dedicated research is urgently needed to assess the differential impacts of new and emerging transport technologies and innovations across different social groups and places. Based on the evidence we have reviewed, we recommend that carefully designed policy interventions are needed to ensure that the current inequalities in mobility and accessibility do not deepen and widen.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Government Office for Science |
| Number of pages | 77 |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2019 |