It’s still being done to people: progress and challenges in Social Exclusion and

Transport

Jeff TurnerIndependent Transport Consultant

jeffreymturner@hotmail.com

Prepared for the ESRC Mobile Network Seminar on Mobilities, Social Capital and ‘communities’,

Department for Transport, London, 25th October, 2002.

Progress and challenges in Social Exclusion and Transport

Objectives• Today is a key opportunity to guide the future

direction for a field of study• 4 years ago I hosted a workshop at Manchester

University on Social Exclusion and Transport.

• Imagine that was the start of a 10-year plan and take the opportunity to review progress to a goal 6 years from now.

Progress and challenges in Social Exclusion and Transport

4 years ago• The Manchester workshop involved presentations on

a range of issues and innovative projects around – understanding spatial patterns; – flexible public transport services; – involving particular communities; – involving different age groups and – addressing both urban and rural issues; – the role of transport in maintaining and developing

social capital.– http://www.geocities.com/transport_research/socexclu9.htm

Progress and challenges in Social Exclusion and Transport

Definitions• “An individual is socially excluded if (a) he or she is

geographically resident in a society and (b) he or she does not participate in the normal activities of citizens in that society”. (Le Grand 1998)

• “a recognition that it is, at least in part, about what people have done to them”. (Murray, 1998)

Progress and challenges in Social Exclusion and Transport

Outputs• A ‘virtual’ community was established from it through

the SETNET e-mail discussion list.• It did, I think, have a common appreciation of the

need for an improved understanding of the importance of getting to places in the efficient delivery of other social policies.

• It also had a common appreciation of the need to involve socially-excluded groups in decision-making

• I’m told people enjoyed the lunch-time chocolate cake!!!!!!!

Progress and challenges in Social Exclusion and Transport

Progress• There have been several government-funded studies

on social exclusion and transport, from both DfT and the Scottish Executive, as well as projects from funding bodies such as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

• There has developed, independently, a better understanding of social exclusion.

• There has also developed a greater understanding of how to characterise transport’s role in the experience of social exclusion.

Progress and challenges in Social Exclusion and Transport

Progress• Policy rhetoric about the role of the bus in local

journeys and in the lives of low-income communities• Central government has developed policy responses

that provide new funds for innovative new public transport services, in both urban and rural areas

• Local authorities and the wider transport profession have become sensitive to the need to be seen to be addressing social exclusion issues.

Progress and challenges in Social Exclusion and Transport

Progress• A knowledge base is developing of the impact of

public transport dependency on people’s perception of accessing opportunities and services

• Calls for mapping accessibility to public transport services and to specific sites of service delivery (eg hospitals, training establishments, employment zones)

• Mapping in this field is currently at risk of descending into measurement without understanding.

Progress and challenges in Social Exclusion and Transport

Gaps• Much discussion and some action on delivering new

and better forms of public transport (eg Demand Responsive Transport etc)

• Lacking appreciation of the problematic caused by development of a two-tier public transport service (commercial v subsidised)

• Lack of connection with discourse on bridging ‘digital divide’ about how to make access to services easier through e-delivery and ICT

• Little about walking, cycling and innovative forms of car ownership

Progress and challenges in Social Exclusion and Transport

Gaps• By contrast there have been very few attempts to

develop new protocols around greater involvement and participation in transport operations and management.

• Assumed that solutions can be developed by professionals and imposed upon ‘communities’ or socially-excluded groups. This is still ‘people having things done to them’

• Lack of connection with wider trends in regeneration and modernizing local government for local participation and neighbourhood management.

Progress and challenges in Social Exclusion and Transport

Gaps• Little understanding about the role mobility plays in destroying,

maintaining or developing social capital and social networks.• Even less understood about the amount of social capital and life

skills required to plan, schedule and undertake travel.• Little understood about how the operation and management of

the transport system can contribute to supporting social capital development. Practice leads here (e.g. Community Transport).

• Lack of connection between knowledge and practice in transport and social exclusion and other areas of transport and society (older people, young people, people with mobility-impairments, gender even developing countries!)

Progress and challenges in Social Exclusion and Transport

Challenges• Develop protocols for involvement of socially-

excluded groups in transport operations and management.

• Develop understanding of what it takes to access services, what happens when that service or access route changes and what holistic solutions can be developed from this understanding.

• Develop understanding with socially-excluded groups to build their capacity and social capital not have them as subjects.