Meeting_Body
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
SEPTEMBER 19, 2019
Subject
SUBJECT: UNDERSTANDING HOW WOMEN TRAVEL
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE status report on How Women Travel Study (Attachment B).
Issue
ISSUE
Although women comprise over half of all transit ridership in Los Angeles County, their mobility needs, concerns, and preferences have not been critically accounted for in the way our transportation systems are planned. In seeking to understand how women travel, Metro is taking an important first step towards easing the disproportionate efforts women put in to making the transportation system work for them by identifying mobility barriers and challenges women face.
Background
BACKGROUND
Metro's Women and Girls Governing Council found that Metro either does not collect or when collected, does not disaggregate its data by gender to understand the unique travel patterns and preferences of women. Metro has limited information on
how women travel, which limits the consideration of women's unique needs during planning, design, and operation of our system. Historically, transportation planning is seen as gender neutral, it equally benefits both men and women and that there are no significant differences between mobility needs and patterns. In reality, women experience mobility differently.
The purpose of gathering & analyzing gender-disaggregated data (separating data by gender) is to have access to Metro/Los Angeles County-specific research and data that really reflects how women travel to make informed decisions and ensure that applicable departments at Metro are utilizing gender specific data to implement service changes and improvements. This study explored the experiences of women traveling by Metro through an analysis of existing data sources, such as on-board surveys, and innovative new data sources.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
The core finding of all existing evidence is that women are res...
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