Women going places : women and transport in a competitive environment

The place of women in transport planning and development has been marginal if not invisible. This has resulted in a lack of recognition of their needs and of the distributional impacts that current transport policy and directions have on women. It has also led to limited attention being paid to women and women's experiences in their use of both cars and public transport: their travel patterns and mobility issues remain largely unexplored. In addition, the current policy environment of privatisation and competition in the transport arena contributes to the exacerbation of women's disadvantaged status, and does little to encourage gender sensitivity in transport policies and practice. The thesis explores these issues with particular reference to the travel experiences of fifteen different w o m e n living in various parts of Melbourne and Victoria. It also uses material collected from a number of transport policy makers and service providers to ascertain the dimensions of the new competitive environment