This text is part of the special Research section
Public transit systems in Canadian cities are not sufficiently adapted to the travel needs of women, according to a study led by the University of Alberta, which called on the contribution of Polytechnique Montréal and the firm Leading Mobility Consulting. The research teams carried out a literature review and an analysis of the strategic plans of the transportation networks of eight cities, including Montreal, Quebec City, Longueuil and Ottawa-Gatineau.
Canadian women are the largest group of public transit users. However, the networks mainly target travel at peak times, to city centres.
“Overwhelmingly, women’s journeys are not aligned with public transit routes. They have trips outside peak hours, and more localized, near their home. They also have a greater proportion of non-work-related travel,” explains Geneviève Boisjoly, engineer and assistant professor in the Department of Civil, Geological and Mining Engineering at Polytechnique Montréal.
This type of travel is not aligned with the main flows of public transport. Currently, the needs analysis of transport networks is not gendered and therefore does not take into account the specific needs of different genders. To plan the networks, transport companies use Opus cards, which make it possible to count entries and exits, but these do not contain socio-demographic data on users.
“It is difficult to have a good understanding, at a detailed level, of the different behaviors of women and men,” adds Geneviève Boisjoly. We encourage the collection of data on the gender of users, but also the fact of valuing them. »
According to the researcher, a gender-differentiated analysis of data is beneficial for the entire population, and not just for women. “When we respond better to the needs of women, we also respond to a greater diversity of needs than just going to work during peak hours in the major employment centers. Services that are better suited to women are also useful to other people, be they men, children, families or the elderly,” she stresses.
Indeed, the research group points out, among other things, that households with children are 50% less likely to use public transit, because of the physical constraints of the networks, which make traveling with children more complex.
Among the recommendations arising from the study, we note the importance of better representation of women at all levels of transport agencies and companies. Indeed, representativeness both in operations and in decision-making positions is a way to ensure fairer transportation that better takes into account the needs of female customers.
In this sense, inclusive measures are already being implemented in some cities. At the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), among others, we are aiming for gender parity. The City of Edmonton also ran a recruitment campaign to hire more women and achieve greater diversity.
New habits since the pandemic
The study also looked at other aspects, including policies that transport companies would benefit from adopting.
Another major aspect emerging from the study is that most transport networks are being restructured to take account of new user habits, including teleworking, in order to adapt their offer. Among the changes made or in the process of being made are efforts to improve off-peak service and local connections. This is the case, among others, in Laval, where the Société de transport is restructuring its services to prioritize local frequency, instead of focusing mainly on trips to downtown Montreal.
With the pandemic, working from home has become very widespread, and the various surveys of organizations show that workers have no desire to return to the office five days a week. If the trend continues, the era of a large proportion of city dwellers moving to downtown office towers at the same time seems to be a thing of the past.
“The networks are in the process of adapting, and it is important to document explicitly how these changes meet the needs of women, because these needs should not be further marginalized in the context of these restructurings. »