FEATURE22 March 2023

Out in the cold: Mapping the social impact of transport limitations

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Katie McQuater

Automotive Features Inclusion Public Sector Travel Trends UK Wellbeing

Transport-related social exclusion prevents people from fully participating in their communities, and new data analysis has shed light on the scale of the problem in England. Katie McQuater reports.

photograph of an empty bus stop late at night

An estimated 3.3 million people in the north of England live in areas where there is a relatively high risk of social exclusion as a result of limitations in transport – equating to a fifth of the region’s population. That stark figure is the result of data analysis from Transport for the North (TfN), the body responsible for making the case for strategic transport improvements across the north.

In its report, Transport-related social exclusion in the north of England, TfN defines transport-related social exclusion (TRSE) as ‘being unable to access opportunities, key services and community life as much as needed, and facing major obstacles in everyday life through the wider impacts of having to travel to access key destinations’.

The impacts of TRSE can contribute to a cycle of poverty, isolation and poor access to basic services. Furthermore, the issue disproportionately affects people with ...