This paper outlines the approach and methodology for a major project to determine how the quality of travel can be improved for women in London. It aims to inform the reader about the project's context, structure, progress made thus far, and future plans. Also, it is hoped that it will stimulate further considerations of other groups' needs, and encourage similar work in other organisations and geographical areas. Women cannot be treated as a homogeneous group with the same needs, demands and perceptions of transport; there is too much diversity within the group to allow this. However, their needs are sufficiently and significantly different to those of men to warrant separate consideration. These include differences in access to private transport, in domestic responsibilities, in patterns of commuting and employment and in their fundamental attitudes towards public and private transport (Hamilton and Jenkins, 2000). Women represent 52% of the population in London, and the majority of users of public transport, making 10% of trips by public transport compared with 7% by men (Hamilton and Jenkins, 2000). They are however increasingly switching to travel by private car demonstrating the extent to which land use and transport policies have failed to provide any reasonable choice.
Abstract