Is Access to Transportation a Basic Human Right?

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Accessibility (Streetsblog, June 11, 2010)

Also discussed here: Mobility as a Basic Human Right (Streetsblog, Oct. 23, 2009)

And here: Driving is a Privilege; Accessibility is a Right (A Place of Sense, June 11. 2010)

The demand for transportation leads one to ask if mobility is a basic human right while focussed in many minds on one form of mobility- the privately owned car and the road infrastructure needed to support that. The article under review today shifts that focus to accessibility for other forms of mobility such as transit and walking and the kind of planning needed to encourage these forms.



Key Quotes:

“The real holy grail in the quest for access is to co-locate all the needs of daily life in a walkable range. If there were more requirements for mixed use for residential developments, people would have access to pharmacies, grocery stores, medical offices, etc.”

“the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Title III, clearly defines universal accessibility as a right.  Architectural barriers to access are not permitted in open establishments, transportation, or public places.”

“access to affordable public transportation, as well as safe pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, is a fundamental social equity issue”

“In a completely auto-dependent situation, what percentatage of the population can even drive or should drive? 60%? 75%. Children, elderly and disabled are forced to be either be home bound or chauffered around by healthy driving age family members. Those on the margins are forced to start earlier or continue longer than is probably safe for other road users.“

“If we lived in a world with more perfect competition, where the costs of auto infrastructure were actually paid by drivers (and they aren't- highways are subsidized to the tune of 50%, local roads upwards of 90%, and parking by unknowable amounts from non-user-fee funds), and where the car wasn't given a free hand up by favourable government intervention, I suspect we'd see a much more diverse transit system.”

“Why are so many of our towns and cities designed in such a way that you need a car to cross a street safely”

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