Intersectoral Needs from a National Survey on Transportation Equity

Abstract

The National Survey working group of the Mobilizing Justice Partnership convened a workshop of 65 stakeholders to discuss the major themes of a planned national survey addressing transportation related social exclusion and mobility justice. At the workshop, which took place over zoom on November 5, 2021, participants rotated between five breakout rooms on different themes to quietly brainstorm and then discuss answers to the following questions: Which kinds of mobility aspirations should we ask about in the survey? What barriers and constraints should we ask about in the survey? What social, economic, and wellbeing outcomes should we ask about? Which aspects of mobility, access, & the built environment should we ask about respondents’ satisfaction with? What types of suppressed travel should we ask about; what types of excess travel should we document? Participants brainstormed 938 responses in Mentimeter, and raised another 140 points in breakout discussions. Workshop organizers coded Mentimeter comments into key topics. The most commonly raised issues pertained to safety (16% of comments), followed by access to destinations (15%), public transit (13%), and access to or wellbeing outcomes related to social, cultural and religious activities (13%). Participants were also prompted to discuss how they would use survey data on the major workshop themes. MJ partners are primarily interested in the survey as a tool to deepen their own understanding of transportation inequities and identify gaps in their own thinking (27.7% percent of responses). They also hoped that the survey would inform their infrastructure investments, strategies, plans, and non-infrastructure interventions (24%). Additionally, participants believed the survey can inform their own research (11% responses). Finally, fewer responses discussed using the survey to support advocacy (10%), map need (6%), improve transit (6%), develop visions (5%), and promote equitable sustainability (5%).