Socially-Just Transport

Social justice perspectives on transport are too often neglected, despite widespread evidence that those on lower incomes get a poorer deal in terms of transport availability, and that they are likely to bear a higher share of its environmental costs.

Policies that boost the attractiveness of individual motorised travel at the expense of public and active transport alternatives hold no benefits for the 36% of Scotland’s households that do not have access to a car. The share of such households is particularly high in urban areas (59% in Glasgow, 42% in Edinburgh) and the overwhelming majority of these have low incomes. Even in the Highlands, where social exclusion on economic grounds can be exacerbated by genuine geographic isolation, one household in five has no access to a car.

Existing policies also aggravate the social exclusion of people who are unable to travel by private car on grounds of ill health, disabilities and/or age (older people and the young).

We want to see:

• A socially-just transport system: one that takes account of the needs of those with disabilities, the young and the elderly, and those on low incomes.