Transportation Equity Quantification and Related Issues and Challenges

Abstract

The main purpose of this article is to explore the different challenges that planners, engineers and policy makers face in quantifying transportation equity for design and implementation purposes. The first section—quantifying equity is a critical review of the most recent literature as well as some existing tools for quantifying transportation equity. The second part—implementing equity to design identifies several different methods that attempt to integrate equity in the planning and design processes. The third section—prioritizing alternate forms of transportation presents an overview of the challenges of vehicle ownership for many disadvantaged groups and how alternate forms of transportation may be able to help alleviate this problem. The fourth section—cost deterrents to driving discusses the advantages and disadvantages of congestion pricing and other cost deterrent methods. The fifth section—barriers to addressing equity presents some of the most challenging policy, planning, design and implementation issues for integrating equity into the transportation sector. Although much stride has been made in the last few years to address the important issue of social equity in transportation, more work and action are needed to make sure all people benefit equally from a safe, efficient and sustainable transportation system.