IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/transa/v176y2023ics0965856423002082.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Scaling up active transportation across North America: A comparative content analysis of policies through a social equity framework

Author

Listed:
  • Soliz, Aryana
  • Carvalho, Thiago
  • Sarmiento-Casas, Claudio
  • Sánchez-Rodríguez, Jorge
  • El-Geneidy, Ahmed

Abstract

Federal governments across North America are increasingly working to scale up active-transport investments to harmonize policy efforts aimed at addressing intersecting urban, environmental, and public-health problems. While such policies promise to provide increased support for cycling, walking, and other active mobilities, the extent to which central-government interventions can foster wide-reaching and equitable infrastructure transitions remains an open question. This paper offers a comparison of recent federal policy initiatives aimed at supporting the development of active-transport facilities across Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Using a comparative content-analysis approach, we analyse federal active-transport strategies in terms of policy development, goals, instruments, as well as social-equity and road-safety considerations. Findings indicate that policy instruments, development resources, and social-equity mechanisms vary considerably between the three countries. While Canada’s recent policies offer targeted project funding for active transport, its national road-safety vision lacks attention to social equity concerns. The United States’ policies emphasize large-scale infrastructure transitions, but risk deprioritizing active-transport projects within wider investments. Mexico’s new mobility and road safety law lacks infrastructure funding but leads in its human-rights approach. While these variances can be attributed to specific differences between national contexts, we posit that they also provide insights into shared challenges and opportunities in federal efforts aimed at providing comprehensive support for active-transport systems. Through a systematic content analysis of recent policies, this paper aims to provide an exploratory assessment of how federal governments are mobilizing diverse approaches to active-transport policymaking and to contribute to multi-scalar theorizing on transport equity and mobility justice.

Suggested Citation

  • Soliz, Aryana & Carvalho, Thiago & Sarmiento-Casas, Claudio & Sánchez-Rodríguez, Jorge & El-Geneidy, Ahmed, 2023. "Scaling up active transportation across North America: A comparative content analysis of policies through a social equity framework," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:176:y:2023:i:c:s0965856423002082
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2023.103788
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856423002082
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tra.2023.103788?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rachel Aldred & Bridget Elliott & James Woodcock & Anna Goodman, 2017. "Cycling provision separated from motor traffic: a systematic review exploring whether stated preferences vary by gender and age," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(1), pages 29-55, January.
    2. Louise Kold-Taylor & Donald W. Guerre, 2020. "From Cars to Bicycles: an Ecosystem View of Montreal Traffic as a Wicked Problem," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 33(1), pages 55-75, February.
    3. Bauernschuster, Stefan & Rekers, Ramona, 2022. "Speed limit enforcement and road safety," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 210(C).
    4. Bethany Hughes, 2022. "Beautifully uncontainable: of honeysuckle and Choctaw walking," Mobilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(2), pages 238-251, March.
    5. Santos, Georgina & Behrendt, Hannah & Teytelboym, Alexander, 2010. "Part II: Policy instruments for sustainable road transport," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 46-91.
    6. Zuo, Ting & Wei, Heng, 2019. "Bikeway prioritization to increase bicycle network connectivity and bicycle-transit connection: A multi-criteria decision analysis approach," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 52-71.
    7. Veeneman, Wijnand & Mulley, Corinne, 2018. "Multi-level governance in public transport: Governmental layering and its influence on public transport service solutions," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 430-437.
    8. Manaugh, Kevin & Badami, Madhav G. & El-Geneidy, Ahmed M., 2015. "Integrating social equity into urban transportation planning: A critical evaluation of equity objectives and measures in transportation plans in North America," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 167-176.
    9. Barajas, Jesus, 2021. "Biking Where Black: Connecting Transportation Planning and Infrastructure to Disproportionate Policing," SocArXiv wszgv, Center for Open Science.
    10. Allen, Jeff & Farber, Steven, 2019. "Sizing up transport poverty: A national scale accounting of low-income households suffering from inaccessibility in Canada, and what to do about it," SocArXiv ua2gj, Center for Open Science.
    11. Genevieve Carpio & Natchee Blu Barnd & Laura Barraclough, 2022. "Introduction to the special issue: mobilizing Indigeneity and race within and against settler colonialism," Mobilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(2), pages 179-195, March.
    12. Sosa López, Oscar & Montero, Sergio, 2018. "Expert-citizens: Producing and contesting sustainable mobility policy in Mexican cities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 137-144.
    13. ., 2023. "Putting an integrated land use transport strategy together," Chapters, in: How Great Cities Happen, chapter 10, pages 266-292, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    14. Ryan Schubert & Elyse Geoffroy & Isabelle Gregga & Ashley J Mulford & Francois Aguet & Kristin Ardlie & Robert Gerszten & Clary Clish & David Van Den Berg & Kent D Taylor & Peter Durda & W Craig Johns, 2022. "Protein prediction for trait mapping in diverse populations," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(2), pages 1-27, February.
    15. Marleau Donais, Francis & Abi-Zeid, Irène & Waygood, E. Owen D. & Lavoie, Roxane, 2019. "Assessing and ranking the potential of a street to be redesigned as a Complete Street: A multi-criteria decision aiding approach," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 1-19.
    16. Marianne Ryghaug & Ivana Subotički & Emilia Smeds & Timo von Wirth & Aline Scherrer & Chris Foulds & Rosie Robison & Luca Bertolini & Eda Beyazit İnce & Ralf Brand & Galit Cohen-Blankshtain & Marc Dij, 2023. "A Social Sciences and Humanities research agenda for transport and mobility in Europe: key themes and 100 research questions," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(4), pages 755-779, July.
    17. Allen, Jeff & Farber, Steven, 2020. "Planning transport for social inclusion: An accessibility-activity participation approach," SocArXiv ap7wh, Center for Open Science.
    18. Fahimeh Khalaj & Dorina Pojani & Neil Sipe & Jonathan Corcoran, 2020. "Why are cities removing their freeways? A systematic review of the literature," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(5), pages 557-580, July.
    19. Francesca Scala & Stephanie Paterson, 2017. "Bureaucratic Role Perceptions and Gender Mainstreaming in Canada," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(6), pages 579-593, November.
    20. Allen, Jeff & Farber, Steven, 2019. "Sizing up transport poverty: A national scale accounting of low-income households suffering from inaccessibility in Canada, and what to do about it," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 214-223.
    21. Combs, Tabitha & Pardo, Carlos F., 2021. "Shifting Streets COVID-19 Mobility Data: Findings from a global dataset and a research agenda for transport planning and policy," SocArXiv 2mzuy, Center for Open Science.
    22. Amos Weintrob & Luke Hansell & Martin Zebracki & Yvonne Barnard & Karen Lucas, 2021. "Queer mobilities: critical LGBTQ perspectives of public transport spaces," Mobilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(5), pages 775-791, September.
    23. Cook, Simon & Stevenson, Lorna & Aldred, Rachel & Kendall, Matt & Cohen, Tom, 2022. "More than walking and cycling: What is ‘active travel’?," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 151-161.
    24. Richard J. Lee & Ipek N. Sener & S. Nathan Jones, 2017. "Understanding the role of equity in active transportation planning in the United States," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(2), pages 211-226, March.
    25. Aldred, Rachel & Goodman, Anna, 2020. "Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, Car Use, and Active Travel: evidence from the People and Places survey of Outer London active travel interventions," SocArXiv ebj89, Center for Open Science.
    26. Devon Farmer & Anthony Perl, 2020. "The role of policy learning in urban mobility adaptation: exploring Vancouver’s plan to remove the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts," Urban Research & Practice, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(1), pages 77-96, January.
    27. Doran, Alexandra & El-Geneidy, Ahmed & Manaugh, Kevin, 2021. "The pursuit of cycling equity: A review of Canadian transport plans," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    28. Kristin Ystmark Bjerkan & Liv Rakel Øvstedal, 2020. "Functional requirements for inclusive transport," Transportation, Springer, vol. 47(3), pages 1177-1198, June.
    29. Chen, Wendong & Cheng, Long & Chen, Xuewu & Chen, Jingxu & Cao, Mengqiu, 2021. "Measuring accessibility to health care services for older bus passengers: A finer spatial resolution," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    30. Sonja Kahlmeier & Esther Anaya Boig & Alberto Castro & Emilia Smeds & Fabrizio Benvenuti & Ulf Eriksson & Francesco Iacorossi & Mark J. Nieuwenhuijsen & Luc Int Panis & David Rojas-Rueda & Sandra Wege, 2021. "Assessing the Policy Environment for Active Mobility in Cities—Development and Feasibility of the PASTA Cycling and Walking Policy Environment Score," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-13, January.
    31. Soliz, Aryana, 2021. "Divergent infrastructure: Uncovering alternative pathways in urban velomobilities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    32. Dea van Lierop & Kees Maat & Ahmed El-Geneidy, 2017. "Talking TOD: learning about transit-oriented development in the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands," Journal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(1), pages 49-62, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ravensbergen, Léa & Van Liefferinge, Mathilde & Isabella, Jimenez & Merrina, Zhang & El-Geneidy, Ahmed, 2022. "Accessibility by public transport for older adults: A systematic review," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    2. Linovski, Orly & Manaugh, Kevin & Baker, Dwayne Marshall, 2022. "The route not taken: Equity and transparency in unfunded transit proposals," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 77-84.
    3. Doran, Alexandra & El-Geneidy, Ahmed & Manaugh, Kevin, 2021. "The pursuit of cycling equity: A review of Canadian transport plans," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    4. Awaworyi Churchill, Sefa & Koomson, Isaac & Munyanyi, Musharavati Ephraim, 2023. "Transport poverty and obesity: The mediating roles of social capital and physical activity," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 155-166.
    5. Cunha, Isabel & Silva, Cecília & Büttner, Benjamin & Toivonen, Tuuli, 2024. "Pursuing cycling equity? A mixed-methods analysis of cycling plans in European cities," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 237-246.
    6. Tao, Sui & Cheng, Long & He, Sylvia & Witlox, Frank, 2023. "Examining the non-linear effects of transit accessibility on daily trip duration: A focus on the low-income population," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    7. Yousefzadeh Barri, Elnaz & Farber, Steven & Jahanshahi, Hadi & Beyazit, Eda, 2022. "Understanding transit ridership in an equity context through a comparison of statistical and machine learning algorithms," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    8. Allen, Jeff & Farber, Steven, 2020. "Suburbanization of transport poverty," SocArXiv hkpfj, Center for Open Science.
    9. Vajjarapu, Harsha & Verma, Ashish, 2022. "Understanding the mitigation potential of sustainable urban transport measures across income and gender groups," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    10. Martin, Adam & Morciano, Marcello & Suhrcke, Marc, 2021. "Determinants of bicycle commuting and the effect of bicycle infrastructure investment in London: Evidence from UK census microdata," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 41(C).
    11. Allen, Jeff & Farber, Steven, 2020. "Planning transport for social inclusion: An accessibility-activity participation approach," SocArXiv ap7wh, Center for Open Science.
    12. Allen, Jeff & Farber, Steven & Greaves, Stephen & Clifton, Geoffrey & Wu, Hao & Sarkar, Somwrita & Levinson, David M., 2021. "Immigrant settlement patterns, transit accessibility, and transit use," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    13. Frimpong Boamah, Emmanuel & Miller, Maya & Diamond, Joshua & Grooms, Wes & Hess, Daniel Baldwin, 2024. "The long journey to equity: A comparative policy analysis of US electric micromobility programs," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    14. Cunha, Isabel & Silva, Cecília, 2023. "Assessing the equity impact of cycling infrastructure allocation: Implications for planning practice," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 15-26.
    15. Allen, Jeff & Higgins, Christopher D. & Silver, Daniel & Farber, Steven, 2023. "Are low-income residents disproportionately moving away from transit?," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    16. Jin, Tanhua & Cheng, Long & Wang, Kailai & Cao, Jun & Huang, Haosheng & Witlox, Frank, 2022. "Examining equity in accessibility to multi-tier healthcare services across different income households using estimated travel time," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 1-13.
    17. Boisjoly, Geneviève & Serra, Bernardo & Oliveira, Gabriel T. & El-Geneidy, Ahmed, 2020. "Accessibility measurements in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba and Recife, Brazil," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    18. Bhardwaj, Chandan & Axsen, Jonn & Kern, Florian & McCollum, David, 2020. "Why have multiple climate policies for light-duty vehicles? Policy mix rationales, interactions and research gaps," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 309-326.
    19. Ravensbergen, Léa & Buliung, Ron & Sersli, Stephanie & Winters, Meghan, 2021. "Guest editorial: Critical Vélomobilities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    20. Braun, Lindsay M. & Rodriguez, Daniel A. & Gordon-Larsen, Penny, 2019. "Social (in)equity in access to cycling infrastructure: Cross-sectional associations between bike lanes and area-level sociodemographic characteristics in 22 large U.S. cities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:176:y:2023:i:c:s0965856423002082. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/547/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.