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Transport planning has, in the past, prioritised roads over other modes of transport, whilst public transportation fare structures and frequency prioritise peak-time commuting. However, innovations in urban mobility documented by URBACT74 give preference to softer modes, reduction of car use (and therefore emissions) and increasing modal share of trains, buses, trams, walking, cycling, and shared and on-demand services enabled by new technology. This trend improves the quality of public space and makes mobility more affordable, accessible and safer for women, girls and those with limited mobility. Through Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs), cities are finding ways to make public transport more appealing. For instance in Helsinki (Finland) not only is all public transport entirely accessible it is also free for anyone with a baby carriage. Resources such as TUMI s implementation guide on gender in transport planning offer concrete tools to policy makers and municipalities to take the first steps toward including gender in integrated and sustainable transport planning. However, buses, trains and trams can often be danger zones for sexual harassment, disproportionately affecting women. Similarly, transport hubs like train stations and bus stops are parts of the city where women feel vulnerable after dark. The ability to plan routes, for example through apps and with real-time information is an important method of securing safe movement around the city, especially for groups that may feel targeted, such as trans or Muslim women. Not having safe and affordable transport available may restrict women s access to other important services, further limiting their participation in professional and community life. Making use of gendered data on transport, understanding diverse needs and listening to unheard voices in mobility planning can raise awareness of fear-based navigation and create gender-responsive services.
74 URBACT (2013), How Cities Can Motivate Mobility Mindsets , available at: https://urbact.eu/sites/default/files/ import/general_library/19765_Urbact_WS5_MOBILITY_low_FINAL.pdf
75 Eurostat (2022), Employment by sex, age and detailed economic activity , available at: https://appsso.eurostat. ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=lfsa_egan22d&lang=en
76 EIGE (2021), Gender Statistics Database - Transport in the EU: Too few women in decision-making , available at: https://eige.europa.eu/gender-statistics/dgs/data-talks/transport-eu-too-few-women-decision-making
In addition, addressing disparities in women s employment levels in the transport planning sector can help diversify the number of different perspectives considered in planning. Transport is a prime example of a sector that still employs relatively few women. Women make up just 22.2% of the workforce in this sector, a statistic that has not seen significant change in recent years75. This trend continues in government. National governments across the 27 EU Member States have 58 ministers with transport forming all, or part, of their portfolio: just nine of these are women. Women are also significantly under- represented in the parliamentary committees tasked with considering policy issues and scrutinising government action in relation to transport. In Romania, Czech Republic and Malta, transport-related committees have no women members at all76. Getting more women into planning and decision-making for transport will help the female perspective be more represented in infrastructure planning which affects their daily lives.
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Men are more likely to make a single destination journey by car, whereas women generally use public transportation to do multiple journeys in one day, because they combine employment and care duties.
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