Better transport demands a collective - and a personal - response

Written By Laura Aston

When it comes to bringing transport solutions that are inclusive and sustainable to life, we all have a different role to play. This article explores the case for promoting alternatives to car-based mobility and the actions we might take if we approach the problem through a systems lens.

If you are reading this, you might be someone who is working in a profession that intersects with transport, place or mobility. Perhaps you are a transport planner. If so you are at the forefront when it comes to designing transport solutions. Perhaps you are a public health specialist. If so, you might be scratching your head and wondering why we can’t get our transport system to deliver more preventive health solutions by making active transport more attractive. Perhaps you are an economist. You might have typically focused on the relative productivity benefits of transportation projects, and are increasingly interested in the health and wider costs and benefits. You may work in aged care, community development, social inclusion, event management or logistics. Maybe you teach children who have to get to school, run a local business, or work in health and safety. Maybe you are employed in an industry that provides transport goods and services. Very likely, you rely on transport to get to work (if not all the time, then some of the time). In short, transport is everybody’s business, because the benefits of a safe and inclusive transport system permeate society.

Currently, our transport system offers a pretty good experience for most people who drive cars. This article is written for a wide audience, so it feels pertinent to briefly outline the evidence that a lack of mobility choices is problematic.

Aside from the professional ‘hats’ we wear, there is also the selves outside of work. We are all people who interact with transport systems in our lives. At a fundamental level we are all citizens who use transport. What we ask of the system varies based on the trips we need to make, the transport options we have access to and our attitudes and preferences. The trips we make are influenced by where we live, who we care for, our job, interests and more. So, all of those variables are relevant when we consider who ‘we’ are in relation to sustainable and inclusive transport; while recognizing that our experience is uniquely ours and other people have different needs when it comes to accessing transport.

Systems thinking pillar 1: From optimising parts to optimising the relationships between parts (a.k.a the ‘whole’)

Enter systems thinking. We live in an interdependent system, where the relationships between parts - actors, sectors, infrastructure and services - influences the patterns or behaviours produced by the system. Many of us are involved in initiatives that seek to remove barriers to active transportation, yet we continue to see traffic congestion increase and rates of non-car mobility remain steady. Why? When we work in sectoral or subject matter disciplines, we may default to optimising parts. Yet each of our domains is connected to others; as evidenced by the link between transportation and health. Importantly, underlying the choices people make when they travel are deeply ingrained norms, expectations and behaviours. If we do not consider the interconnections between public health, housing, transport, marketing, social norms and more, we will continue to see the same patterns of transportation emerge.

System pillar 2: The status quo has benefits

In a system designed for cars, it’s not surprising most people find it easiest to get around in a car. Any solution that seeks to change the way we travel must first acknowledge the benefits that the system brings to many, and the costs of letting those go. That sounds like a discouragement, right? This is where cocreated visions are so important. To motivate change, the vision must offer greater benefits than the status quo. Only by asking the people in the systems to craft a shared vision that inspires them can we be enticed to let go of the status quo in favour of new and different benefits. We must create solutions with users. We must let down our guard of expertise and get curious about the lived experience of the people using the system, including our own.

It’s clear we need to have empathy for users and for the people whose livelihoods depends, in multiple ways, on transport. It’s clear we need to collaborate. But this in conflict with the way we are comfortable operating. This can seem like a lot of effort. Let me point out another pillar of system thinking, which is that a focused action trounces disparate effort every time.

System pillar 3: Find your leverage

Consider that you are but one node in a system, and your sphere of influence overlaps others’. The key is understanding where your sphere of influence lies and taking an effective action with the capacity to create a ripple of change that spills over to the other people with whom your sphere of influence intersects. You can do this by zooming out. It’s easy to start getting vertigo at this point (if so, you may enjoy this - How to deal with altitude sickness in systems thinking | Regen Melbourne).

Transportation outcomes are influenced along a continuum from vision to design, materials, construction and operation (more in PAS2080). One way to decide where to focus your effort is to consider where we sit in this lifecycle of a transport project. Here’s an excerpt from a 2021 Arup report I had the joy of coauthoring in which we classified different levers for implementing the Avoid - Shift - Improve framework according to the transport project lifecycle.

Another key distinction to make is that of who you interact with. Here are some questions you might ask:

  • Can we partner with community engagement professionals to embed engagement into design?

  • Are there stakeholders in our client’s organisation who represent different population segments? Can we seek their involvement in project discussions?

  • (If the answer to the above is ‘no’ ) Can we do secondary research of users’ needs to inform our design?

If you are able to work with users, it’s important to consider any bias in your frame of reference.

  • What factors determine the ways in which people interact with the transport system?

  • Have we heard from people who are representative of these different factors?

  • If not, how might we seek their input?

We all wear many hats that affect how we experience and what we expect of transportation. If we are to develop an inclusive and sustainable transport system, we must identify the action that is uniquely ours to take. All of us can stay curious in our daily interactions with people - who are also users of the transport system as well as people whose livelihoods intersect with transport - and seek to expand our frame of reference beyond those who share common traits, job functions and expectations with us. These two mindsets can help us play a role in unlocking transport solutions that contribute to the health and vitality of society.

Key references that shaped my understanding of systems thinking were:

I also recommend Veronica Davis’ book Inclusive Transportation, for more guidance on involving users in transport planning and design.

If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend Donella Meadows seminal paper on leverage: Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System - The Donella Meadows Project

Want to know more?

Laura Aston
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