Running on Empty -- Transport, Social Exclusion and Environmental Justice

TRADITIONALLY, “TRANSPORT POVERTY” and its impacts on social welfare have been poorly understood, and generally overlooked by policy professionals. The key aim of this book is to initiate a greater cross-fertilization between the transport disciplines and the social sciences. The book also aims to help in drawing lessons from “…the strong body of knowledge in the US about addressing the transport problems of low-income and minority ethnic populations as part of a welfare agenda, which does not really exist elsewhere, and which can usefully serve to inform policy development in this area” (page 2). Although the text focuses mainly on policy and practice in England and the US, much of its content and analysis will also be applicable to most other advanced industrial nations.
The first part of this volume consists of two chapters that introduce the issues relating to “transport poverty” in general. The first chapter presents the basic case for adopting transport as a social policy concern and suggests why this approach has not been taken up in the past. Chapter two presents the empirical evidence of transport inequality in the UK and the US, and its relation to wider quality of life issues, in addition to identifying gaps in this knowledge base.
Part II of the book (The UK perspective) is dedicated to the UK policy approach, with a particular focus on policy development and practice in England. Chapter three introduces the social exclusion policy agenda in England and presents its emerging strategy to address the problem of poor transport through accessibility planning. This is supported by four case study chapters that offer examples of the types of initiatives that are being developed across England to address “transport poverty” issues. Chapter eight summarizes the main points raised in the UK chapters, and identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the social exclusion and accessibility planning approach.
Part III parallels Part II, but in the US context. Chapter nine discusses how transport inequalities have recently moved to the forefront of the US transport policy agenda under the banner of the environmental justice movement. Chapters 10 to 13 offer four US case studies, each demonstrating practical initiatives to address transport inequalities. Chapter 14 summarizes the main points raised in the US chapters, and draws out key issues and concerns in relation to the approach that is being applied to the transport equity agenda in the US. The final section of the book draws comparative lessons between the UK and the US in order to identify how the social and transport policy agendas on both sides of the Atlantic can better embrace the issue of social equity in the future.
The authors include researchers, academicians, planners, policy makers, consultants, civic activists and attorneys working on transportation, social equity and urban planning issues. In brief, the book concludes that low-income communities are disproportionately denied the benefits of public resources allocated for transportation; they disproportionately bear the burdens of environmental degradation; they do not always have access to information to understand the impacts of decisions; and they are often denied full and fair participation in the decision-making process. Achieving visible reductions in “transport poverty” will require all these four issues to be addressed.