Women's Travel: Can the Circle Be Squared?

During the 1990s, the travel patterns of women in Great Britain exhibited some profound changes. Women of all ages are increasingly likely to hold driver's licenses and have full access to a car as the main driver. Three-fourths of the increase in car traffic since 1990 can be attributed to women. These changes have been influenced by major changes in the employment of women. For many women with children, a car is considered a necessity to help manage home and work responsibilities. Women have been able to expand their travel horizons, but there may be a cost to bear for society as a whole, with increasing congestion in many urban areas and on interurban roads. Bus service may become less viable, and opportunities for the remaining people who do not own a car may be reduced. Some tentative projections of further changes in car ownership and use by women over the next 10 to 15 years and their effect on traffic are provided. Can what seems to be impossible be achieved--can the circle be squared--so that the liberation that the car brings to many women can be enjoyed without the negative effects of increased congestion and environmental damage for society as a whole?

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/conf/CP35v2.pdf
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  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309093945
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  • Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
• Authors:
  • Noble, Barbara
• Conference:
  • Conference on Research on Women's Issues in Transportation
  • Location: Chicago Illinois, United States
  • Date: 2004-11-18 to 2004-11-20
• Publication Date: 2005

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 196-209
• Monograph Title: Research on Women's Issues in Transportation, Report of a Conference, Volume 2: Technical Papers
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Board Conference Proceedings
  • Issue Number: 35
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 1073-1652

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobile ownership; Children; Driver licenses; Employment; Females; Traffic congestion; Travel patterns
• Geographic Terms: United Kingdom
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01016522
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309093945
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jan 31 2006 2:04PM