Research on Women's Issues in Transportation, Volume 1: Conference Overview and Plenary Papers (2006)

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C O N F E R E N C E P R O C E E D I N G S 3 5 Research on Women’s Issues in Transportation Report of a Conference VOLUME 1: CONFERENCE OVERVIEW AND PLENARY PAPERS November 18–20, 2004 Chicago, Illinois Sponsored by Transportation Research Board Federal Highway Administration Office of Planning, Federal Highway Administration Office of Interstate and Border Planning, Federal Highway Administration Office of Transportation Policy Studies, Federal Highway Administration Department for Transport, United Kingdom Michigan Department of Transportation General Motors Corporation Iowa Department of Transportation New Mexico Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Federal Transit Administration Maritime Administration Washington State Department of Transportation Oak Ridge National Laboratory Washington, D.C. 2006 www.TRB.org

Transportation Research Board Conference Proceedings 35 ISSN 1073-1652 ISBN 0-309-09956-0 Subscriber Categories IA planning and administration IVB safety and human performance Transportation Research Board publications are available by ordering individual publications directly from the TRB Business Office, through the Internet at www.TRB.org or national-academies.org/trb, or by annual subscription through organizational or individual affiliation with TRB. Affiliates and library subscribers are eligible for substantial discounts. For further information, contact the Transportation Research Board Business Office, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001 (telephone 202-334-3213; fax 202-334- 2519; or e-mail TRBsales@nas.edu). Printed in the United States of America. NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance. This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to the procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The views expressed in the presentations and papers contained in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the committee, the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council, or the sponsors of the conference. The conference was sponsored by the Transportation Research Board; the Federal Highway Administration; the Office of Planning, Office of Interstate and Border Planning, and Office of Transportation Policy Studies of the Federal Highway Administration; the Department for Transport, United Kingdom; the Michigan Department of Transportation; General Motors Corporation; the Iowa Department of Transportation; the New Mexico Department of Transportation; the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; the Federal Transit Administration; the Maritime Administration; the Washington State Department of Transportation; and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Committee on Research on Women’s Issues in Transportation: A Conference Sandra Rosenbloom, University of Arizona, Chair Susan A. Ferguson, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Susan L. Handy, University of California, Davis Sara McLafferty, University of Illinois, Urbana–Champaign Michael D. Meyer, Georgia Institute of Technology Laura L. Ray, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority Jane C. Stutts, Highway Safety Research Center, University of North Carolina Beverly G. Ward, Center for Urban Transportation Research, University of South Florida Liaison Members Jesse Blatt, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Linda Ng Boyle, University of Iowa Miranda Carter, Department for Transport, United Kingdom Jill Hochman, Federal Highway Administration Gloria Jean Jeff, Michigan Department of Transportation Elaine Murakami, Federal Highway Administration Effie Stallsmith, Federal Transit Administration Sherry B. Ways, Federal Highway Administration Consultant Susan B. Herbel, Cambridge Systematics, Inc. Transportation Research Board Staff Elaine King, Senior Program Officer Kimberly M. Fisher, Senior Program Officer Freda R. Morgan, Senior Program Associate Nancy Doten, Senior Program Assistant Bruce Millar, Meeting Coordinator TRB Publications Office Naomi Kassabian, Editor Ann E. Petty, Managing Editor Mary McLaughlin, Proofreader Jennifer J. Weeks, Editorial Services Specialist

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. On the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. William A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering. The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters per- taining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, on its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine. The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to asso- ciate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both the Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. William A. Wulf are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council. The Transportation Research Board is a division of the National Research Council, which serves the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. The Board’s mission is to promote innovation and progress in transportation through research. In an objective and interdisci- plinary setting, the Board facilitates the sharing of information on transportation practice and pol- icy by researchers and practitioners; stimulates research and offers research management services that promote technical excellence; provides expert advice on transportation policy and programs; and disseminates research results broadly and encourages their implementation. The Board’s varied activities annually engage more than 5,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, fed- eral agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation. www.TRB.org www.national-academies.org

vPreface On November 18–20, 2004, the TransportationResearch Board (TRB) convened a Conferenceon Research on Women’s Issues in Trans- portation in Chicago, Illinois. The conference—TRB’s third held on this subject—was sponsored by the fol- lowing agencies, organizations, and companies with an interest in advancing the understanding of women’s issues in transportation: TRB; the Office of Planning, Office of Interstate and Border Planning, and Office of Transportation Policy Studies of the Federal Highway Administration; the Department for Transport, United Kingdom; the Michigan Department of Trans- portation; General Motors Corporation; the Iowa Department of Transportation; the New Mexico Department of Transportation; the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; the Federal Transit Administration; the Maritime Administration; the Washington State Department of Transportation; and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Approximately 120 individuals from across the transportation research community—at national, state, regional, and local levels and from the public and pri- vate sectors and academia—participated. An unusual number of international participants attended, includ- ing individuals from the United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cameroon, Australia, Canada, South Africa, and Burkina Faso. BACKGROUND This event followed two earlier conferences on women’s issues in transportation, the first of which was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transporta- tion in 1978. Attendees at that groundbreaking con- ference were predominantly researchers and scholars. By the time the second conference was held in 1996, concerns about women’s issues had moved well beyond the research community into policy making and the planning and engineering processes. The sec- ond conference, sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration, was organized by the Drachman Insti- tute of the University of Arizona and by Morgan State University. The third conference has continued the trend of expanding the sponsorship, breadth of topics covered, and participants’ backgrounds. CONFERENCE PLANNING This conference had two primary objectives: (a) to iden- tify and explore additional research and data needed to inform transportation policy decisions that address women’s mobility, safety, and security needs and (b) to encourage research by young researchers. TRB assem- bled a committee, appointed by the National Research Council, to organize and develop the conference pro- gram. The committee members, who are listed on page ii, possessed expertise in the wide range of transporta- tion topics that affect women’s travel. The committee selected four subject areas as a basis for organizing the conference, and four committee mem- bers assumed responsibility as the topic leaders, as fol- lows: • Understanding Travel Issues—Sandra Rosen- bloom, committee chair; • Transportation, Access, and Community Design— Susan L. Handy; • Injury Prevention and Ergonomics—Susan A. Fer- guson; and • Policy and Planning—Michael D. Meyer. After identifying the four main topic areas listed above, the committee issued a call for abstracts. The

process for soliciting and conducting peer reviews of full papers to be presented at the conference is described in Volume 2 of this proceedings. Topic leaders drew on information and findings in the papers to be presented at the conference, together with their own extensive knowledge, to prepare an overview paper to frame the issues within their respective topic areas and to summarize the findings of the accepted papers. The overview papers were peer reviewed and are published in this volume. CONFERENCE FORMAT The conference program was designed to maximize the exchange of information and perspectives among the par- ticipants. The four overview papers were each presented in a plenary session, and each paper was followed by an open discussion with the audience. Breakout sessions fol- lowed each plenary session to encourage the exchange of research findings and relevant information and experi- ence. Additional papers were presented in poster sessions during the conference. Each type of session is described in further detail below. Plenary Sessions The plenary sessions began with each of the topic lead- ers making a presentation (based on the leader’s written overview paper). The plenary sessions were designed to • Frame the issues within the respective subject areas, • Provide a summary of current issues, • Summarize the state of current research, and • Summarize the conclusions of research papers pre- sented in the related breakout sessions. Breakout Sessions Following each plenary session were three or four con- current breakout sessions, during which several peer- reviewed papers were presented. These sessions allowed the participants to hear more in-depth information on specific research or policy issues. The sessions also pro- vided an opportunity to share similarities and differences in the communities represented by the participants. Poster Session Additional peer-reviewed papers accepted by the com- mittee that could not be accommodated in the breakout sessions were presented in a poster session. The poster session allowed for a lively exchange of ideas directly with the authors. CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS FORMAT Volume 1 This volume contains the overview material. The con- ference summary was prepared by Susan Herbel, Cam- bridge Systematics. The peer-reviewed topic overview papers are provided in the order in which they were pre- sented at the conference. The keynote presentation, given by Ann Frye, Department for Transport, United Kingdom, is included. Finally, the appendix contains the list of all conference participants. This volume, including the peer-reviewed topic overview papers, has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purposes of this independent review are to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evi- dence, and responsiveness to the committee’s charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. TRB thanks the following individuals for their review of this report: Marsha Anderson Bomar, Street Smarts, Inc., Duluth, Georgia; Nancy McGuckin, consultant, Washington, D.C.; and Abigail E. McKenzie, Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul. Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they did not see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of the final draft of this report was overseen by C. Michael Walton, University of Texas at Austin. Appointed by the National Research Council, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accor- dance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. The contributions of the conference committee were essential to the success of the conference. Beyond their role on the conference committee, the authors of the overview papers contained in this volume contributed their time and expertise. Susan Herbel supported the committee in its development of the conference program and invitation of selected speakers and participants. She kept everyone on task and on schedule. The topic leaders managed most of the review process, communicated fre- RESEARCH ON WOMEN’S ISSUES IN TRANSPORTATIONvi

quently with authors, prepared the overview papers, and led interactive plenary sessions. The keynote presentation, by Ann Frye, helped set the tone for the conference. The sense of shared responsibility conveyed by Ms. Frye was frequently echoed in the remainder of the conference. Volume 2 Volume 2 contains 22 full papers from the breakout and poster sessions and 9 abstracts of papers on subjects of particular interest to the committee that were selected for publication through the committee’s peer review process. viiPREFACE

Contents OVERVIEW..............................................................................................................................................1 Background and Purpose ......................................................................................................................1 Content Overview and Research Needs ................................................................................................2 KEYNOTE ADDRESS..............................................................................................................................5 Ann Frye UNDERSTANDING WOMEN’S AND MEN’S TRAVEL PATTERNS: THE RESEARCH CHALLENGE .............................................................................................................7 Sandra Rosenbloom Convergence in Travel Patterns .............................................................................................................8 Societal Patterns That Increase Divergence .........................................................................................12 Comparability or Not?........................................................................................................................20 Conclusions and Needed Research ......................................................................................................21 COMMUNITY DESIGN AND TRAVEL BEHAVIOR: EXPLORING THE IMPLICATIONS FOR WOMEN............................................................................29 Susan Handy What Is Community Design?...............................................................................................................29 How Does Community Design Affect Travel Behavior?......................................................................31 How Might These Effects Differ for Women? .....................................................................................32 Where Do We Go from Here?.............................................................................................................35 WOMEN’S ISSUES IN HIGHWAY SAFETY: SUMMARY OF THE LITERATURE.............................39 Susan A. Ferguson and Keli A. Braitman Motor Vehicle Crash Rates..................................................................................................................40 Risk Perception and Risky Driving......................................................................................................41 Injury Propensity in Crashes of Same Severity.....................................................................................43 Trends in Crashes and Driving Exposure ............................................................................................43 Crash Injury Patterns and Effectiveness of Vehicle Countermeasures ..................................................43 Crashworthiness Countermeasures......................................................................................................44 Pregnancy and Motor Vehicle Safety ...................................................................................................45 Restraint Use During Pregnancy..........................................................................................................46 Conclusions.........................................................................................................................................46

WOMEN’S ISSUES IN TRANSPORTATION: POLICY AND PLANNING..........................................51 Michael D. Meyer Conceptual Framework for Policy and Planning Implications of Women’s Travel Behavior ...............51 International Perspectives ....................................................................................................................57 Summary .............................................................................................................................................57 APPENDIX A: CONFERENCE COMMITTEE BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION ...........................59 APPENDIX B: CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS...................................................................................61