Introduction
Equity is an important factor in public transit as planning decisions can significantly impact a resident’s ability to access opportunities in their community. Durham Region Transit (DRT) is taking the steps necessary to ensure our decision making is evidence informed and considers a social equity focussed approach to transit.
As one of Ontario’s largest regional transit systems, DRT serves a diverse population living in urban and rural areas. The impacts of decisions made across the organization must be considered for the various group’s residents across our region.
These social equity guidelines are intended to ensure that when planning and managing the transit system, residents have equitable access to transit services.
Importance of Equity in Transit Planning
Transit can be viewed as a "gateway" service that either breaks down or reinforces factors that lead to a healthy and high-quality way of life. Transit planning decisions have the potential to deepen, create, or alleviate inequities that already exist within our communities.
Equity in service planning considers how services and resources are distributed, ensuring everyone in the community has access to transit, including those that rely on it the most. Social equity considerations adopted as part of the transit planning processes will ensure that the benefits of a reliable and equitable transit network are accessible to the widest range of community members for generations to come.
Transit planning obviously requires technical analysis, but it also requires an equity analysis where planners factor in sociodemographic realities.
Transit Realities and Barriers
DRT is committed to equitable transit investments and removing barriers for users across our Region.
Below is a general overview of some of the realities and barriers faced by equity priority groups when accessing transit services:
In addition, diverse residents in Durham’s underserved or rural neighbourhoods face unique challenges related to the overlapping disadvantages they experience because of their identities and where they live:
It is imperative that DRT staff factor in these and other transit realities when planning transit services and incorporate a multiplicity of perspectives. This awareness can help develop and deliver services that are responsive and relevant to clients and communities and, ultimately, address unintended barriers within our transit system.
Incorporating an Equity Focus
We tend to design our processes for people who appear similar to us, which allows many exclusionary practices to persist. Instead of “treating people the way that you’d like to be treated,” we should instead treat people the way they would like to be treated and avoid providing services based on our own preferences. This approach supports and respects the skills and experiences of diverse Durham residents.
Equity priority groups are communities that have been historically disadvantaged and face barriers to full participation in Canadian society. These disadvantages have been created by attitudinal, historic, social and environmental barriers based on age, ethnicity, disability, economic status, gender, nationality, race, sexual orientation and transgender status, etc.
Communities of Focus
Priority Neighbourhoods |
The seven priority neighbourhoods identified by Durham Public Health are home to approximately 91,000 residents (15 per cent of Durham Region’s population) that require focus to build on health and well-being. These neighbourhoods rank poorly in terms of overall income, education levels, and employment. The seven priority neighbourhoods are: |
Rural Areas
Almost 85 per cent of Durham Region’s geography is rural, with the townships of Brock, Scugog and Uxbridge making up the majority of Durham’s rural area. Home to about 90,000 residents and 25,000 jobs, the rural areas of Durham face unique challenges.
Rural areas in Durham continue to change, and the following factors have been increasing contributing to mobility challenges.
DRT’s Equity Checklist
This section introduces a transit equity checklist for service planning. It is a series of considerations to guide us as we seek to understand how our decisions and actions either break down or reinforce barriers and inequities facing the groups identified above. It is not designed to be prescriptive, rather it is a prompt for important front-end considerations. Reviewing this checklist helps to think through and articulate how we’re integrating equitable and inclusive approaches into transit planning.
DRT’s Social Equity Goals
Listen and learn
DRT will continue to engage and listen to identified equity priority groups to further understand needs and experiences to support an inclusive and equitable transit system. DRT currently engages with a variety of committees that represent the groups identified, such as the Age Friendly and local accessible committees. To further advance engagement, DRT staff will strive to engage, listen, and learn from relevant groups and organizations.
Train and grow
DRT will continue to seek training opportunities on social equity and inclusion to provide staff with the knowledge and tools to ensure equity planning is a standard practice within our daily operations.
Deliver and set measurable goals.
Realistic and measurable goals will ensure DRT delivers on the commitment to social equity.
Social Equity Initiatives
DRT has established the following social equity initiatives to ensure all residents and visitors in Durham Region can rely on transit for their transportation needs.
Supporting Infrastructure
Transit shelters |
DRT will install shelters near locations such as retirement residences, hospitals, community centres, medical centres and transfer stops. |
Stations, terminals and hubs |
Social equity guidelines will influence amenities and design at terminals by ensuring that equity priority groups’ needs are met.
Washroom designs will include gender neutral facilities and spaces for infant changing and nursing. New initiatives will be implemented to improve access to electronic trip planning, information, and real-time information by considering Wi-Fi access through mobile devices, electronic customer kiosks, real-time information displays and customer information lines. Wayfinding information will be improved and expanded, including the use of accessible formats. |
Service proximity |
A customer’s journey starts from their home, school, work, or other location, and getting to the transit stop, hub, terminal, or station. Travel experiences will be improved by removing barriers and reducing distances to bus stops and hubs. DRT will work with Regional and Municipal partners to identify, address, and remove barriers to accessing transit services in their neighbourhoods by:
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Public transit can be an important service to supporting and nurturing underperforming employment zones within the Region. DRT will work with Regional Planning and Economic Development to ensure that our services support the growth and regeneration of existing employment areas.
Measuring progress
DRT use a variety of measurement tools to evaluate effectiveness through an annual monitoring system. On an annual basis, DRT will evaluate Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to improve and enhance equitable transit within Durham Region.
On an annual basis, DRT will report on improvements made to shelter placement, accessibility improvements and transit routes serving established neighbourhoods and On Demand availability improvements.
Conclusion
Equitable, high-quality public transit will ensure Durham residents can increasing access employment, health care and healthy food, childcare, and recreational activities. The DRT transit system will continue to evolve to better reflect the needs and values of Durham’s diverse communities.
Equity considerations are not tangential to the success of transit planning but central to the task connecting people and enhancing liveability for generations to come.
1Ontario Human Rights Commission. (2002). Human Rights and Public Transit Services in Ontario. Consultation Report. P.14. Human Right and Public Transit Services in Ontario - Consultation Report
2The seven Priority Neighbourhoods identified by Durham Region Health Department are communities that require focus to build health equity. They are: 1) Downtown Ajax – Ajax, 2) Downtown Whitby – Whitby, 3) Lakeview – Oshawa, 4) Gibb West – Oshawa, 5) Downtown Oshawa – Oshawa, 6) Central Park – Oshawa, 7) Beatrice North – Oshawa. Making Children the Priority: Early Childhood Development in Priority Neighbourhoods