Research Project Description
Mineta Transportation Institute
How to Ease Women’s Fear of Transportation Environments: Case Studies of Best Practices
Project Number: 2611
Research Project: This study will identify best practices for overcoming women’s fears regarding transit usage utilizing case studies, user surveys, and dialogue with transit agencies.
Principal Investigator:Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, UCLA Department of Urban Planning
Team member: Camille Fink
Institution:
Mineta Transportation Institute
Telephone Number:
(408) 924-7560
Email Address: mti@mti.sjsu.edu
Project Objective:
This study will focus on the safety concerns and needs of women transit users.
Project Abstract:
The relationship between women’s fear and the built environment has been the subject of research with clear findings that women feel unsafe in many locations. Cities and municipalities around the world have addressed this issue by implementing different programs to assess and remedy safety gaps in the built environment. Some of these programs have looked at transportation settings, but little academic research has specifically focused on this aspect of women’s safety. Whether traveling by bus, automobile, or other modes, women’s fear of transportation facilities – such as parking lots, buses, and bus stops – in turn affects the way women engage in travel. This study will focus on the safety concerns and needs of women riders.
Fear affects women’s travel patterns and use of certain public spaces. Empirical studies have shown that women would often drive or take a taxi rather than walk or use public transit because of fear for their safety. In some instances, women may completely avoid the use of certain bus stops or railway stops, or confine their use to certain hours of the day, or visit them if only accompanied by others. Public transportation settings represent places of risk for many women, who report being fearful of waiting at empty bus stops and railway stations or sitting alone in empty buses and train cars. While private automobiles are perceived as the safest means of transportation by women, having to park them in desolate parking structures generates considerable stress and fear. Indeed, nighttime entails special fears for women, who report not feeling safe traveling alone at night.
So far, research on women’s fear of crime in public transportation settings has been minimal, and little attention has been given to the specific concerns and needs of women riders. Most of these studies do incorporate some analysis of gender differences in perceptions of safety on transit; however, the focus is not specifically on women and safety. There is limited information about 1) the types of changes that women’s groups deem as desirable for their safety when in transit environments; 2) the strategies followed by different transit agencies around the country to address women’s fears when in transit; and 3) the effectiveness of policy and design measures taken by transit agencies and transportation authorities to make travel less threatening to women.
Milestones Dates:
Task 1: Literature Review
We will extend and complete a literature review on women’s fears and concerns about safety in
public environments with a particular emphasis on transit settings.
Task 2: Inventory of Transit Programs and Municipal Policies
Based on our review of the literature as well as the results of our survey of US transit operators (undertaken for a previous study), we will document programs and create an inventory of municipal policies in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, and possibly Australia that have as their explicit focus the safety of women in cities.
Task 3: Development of Interview Instrument
We will develop two interview instruments, one to be administered to representatives of women’s advocacy groups, and one to be administered to agencies launching programs on women’s safety.
Task 4: Interviews with representatives of women’s groups
A series of interviews will be conducted by phone with representatives of national and local women’s interest groups in the U.S. The purpose of these interviews is to identify the perceptions of these groups regarding the issues of safety of women in American cities.
Task 5: Selection of Case Studies
Based on the literature review and the survey findings we will select and study in-depth 4-5 case studies of programs targeting women’s safety issues in transit environments. It is likely that programs from Canada, England, Australia, and the U.S. will be considered for case study research.
Task 6: Case studies of Model Programs
For each case study we will conduct interviews with the agency responsible of running the program, and will review reports and other available documentation (e.g., riders survey) evaluating the program. The purpose of the case studies is to assess the effectiveness and results of these programs and to extract lessons that may be applicable to transit systems in other cities.
Task 7: Analysis Of Interview and Case Study Data
The results of the interviews and case study data will be compiled and synthesized. In particular, the analysis will emphasize planning, design, and operational responses, and best strategies to enhance women’s safety.
Task 8: Preparation of Final Report
The results of the study will be complied into a monograph for publication and dissemination by the MTI.
Following publication of the MTI report, the research findings will be presented at least two major research conferences (ACSP and TRB), at least two presentations will be given to transit officials, and at least one article will be published from this work in scholarly journals.
Total Budget:$44,875 (Include $6,450 for MTI’s costs in both above amounts)
Student Involvement:
Student Research Assistant, San Jose State University TBA
Technology Transfer Activities:
Upon publication, pdf and html versions will be available on the Mineta Transportation Institute web site. The project experience and data will be available for community meetings. Authors are encouraged to submit articles based on the research to relevant journals and to present the information to end-users at conferences.
Potential Benefits of the Project:
This study fits well with MTI’s research emphasis on Safety and Security of Transportation Systems,and the Los Angeles regional DOT’s, FTA’s and Caltrans’ interests in transit safety. The evidence from empirical studies shows that crime and fear of crime affect women’s modal choices, and may lead to an avoidance of transit use. Not much research emphasis, however, has been given to examining women’s concerns about fear of transit environments. While programs focusing on women’s safety have been initiated by some municipalities, and presumably some transit agencies, we do not have careful documentations and evaluations of these programs. Our research is useful because understanding the social and physical factors that generate fear among women riders can help pinpoint ways of reducing this fear. Additionally, by compiling a list a successful program elements and best practices, this research will be useful to transit agencies trying to respond to the needs of their female clients. Of course, the “end user” of this research will be the many women riders that may benefit from the implementation of programs addressing their concern for safe and secure travel.
TRB Keywords:
Bus transit operations; Law enforcement; Safety; Safety and Security; Women
Primary Subject:
Transportation/Safety
Goals:
The goals of this study include: a) identifying the perspectives and needs of women regarding safety from crime in transit environments; b) assess if these needs are met by transit operators; and c) identify model programs and best design and policy practices from the U.S. and overseas that address women’s concerns about safe transit travel.
Enabling Research:
Literature review; Interviews with key women’s organizations including National Organization for Women, American Association of University Women, Center for Women Policy Studies, Coalition of Labor Union Women, League of Women Voters, and National Council of Women’s Organizations, as well as interviews from transit agency policymakers; Case study with “best practices” recommendations
Modal Orientation:
Bus, Rail
