Abstract
•Transport professionals (N = 175) in Aotearoa/NZ completed a web survey.•Analyses suggest that inclusive access is a complex issue for transport professionals.•There was a range of perspectives on why it is not more prominent in transport policy, or why outcomes are not better for older and disabled people using transport.•We argue that these findings are reflective of inclusive access being vaguely defined and poorly measured in transport.•It is recommended that inclusive access in transport policy is improved with measures that link policy and design choices to outcomes.
Inclusive access to transport is an important determinant of health for older and disabled people. Despite transport policy increasingly focusing on wellbeing and equity outcomes, transport professionals’ understanding of and approaches to delivering accessible transport remain poorly understood. Transport professionals (N = 175) from a range of government and private sector organisations in Aotearoa/New Zealand completed a web survey. Questions covered respondents’ views on what might make inclusive access a more prominent transport policy objective; their approach to accessibility for older and disabled people in their work; and the extent to which they engage with older and disabled people in transport practice and design. Analyses suggest that inclusive access is a complex issue for transport professionals. There was a range of perspectives on why it is not more prominent in transport policy, or why outcomes are not better for older and disabled people using transport. In-person engagement between transport professionals and older and disabled people is infrequent. We argue that these findings are reflective of inclusive access being vaguely defined and poorly measured in transport. Consequently, compared with transport policies such as road safety which have clearly measurable outcomes, improved equity of mobility is reliant on design standards and transport professionals’ awareness and training. It is recommended that inclusive access in transport policy is improved with measures that linkpolicy and design choices to outcomes, ultimately benefitting the health of all people, and that of older and disabled people in particular.