╨╧рб▒с>■  (*■   '                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                ье┴7 Ё┐xbjbjUU .7|7|x      l*******>JJJJ V >{ ╢nnnnnnnn· № № № № № № $1 Q V *nnnnn к**nn5 кккn*n*n· кn· кPк· **· nb @dдj Y─> JД · · K 0{ · зОз· к>>****┘Editorial for ACCESS Magazine, by Dr Philip Barham, Transport & Travel Research Ltd, 17th of October 2003. There is a growing realisation in Europe that current problems with the exclusion from mainstream society of a number of social groups can, in part, be attributed to the transport policies of the last few decades. Growth in car ownership during the latter half of the Twentieth Century has transformed Western societies by offering individuals opportunities for unprecedented levels of mobility. Unfortunately, a major impact of the boom in availability of that symbol of the affluent society, the private car, has been for transport and land-use plans to be shaped with the needs of the car owner in mind. This has had a profound effect on the landscape. The ability for the majority of consumers to travel longer distances for accessing retail facilities has led to the growth of large, out-of-town shopping malls and supermarkets, whose range of products continues to expand. Retailers, in turn, have been encouraged to concentrate their operations on fewer, larger outlets by the benefits of economies of scale. Other important facilities, such as hospitals, have mimicked this trend towards organisational centralisation and geographical dispersion to the periphery of cities. Employment opportunities, too, have migrated away from city centre locations Ц the increasing mobility of the population has meant an end to the requirement for industry to locate in the middle of the labour market, or for employees to live in settlements close to the place of work. In fact, the accepted norm in Europe is now for employment and residence to be entirely separate, so that most people travel to work on a daily basis. In short, rising car ownership levels have encouraged planning policies that have led to society becoming increasingly car dependent. Many of the social problems that are evident in European society today and in the recent past can be attributed to the fact that, whilst rising personal mobility levels described here have enhanced life for the majority, there has always been a significant minority who have, not only been unable to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the private car, but have actually been materially disadvantaged by its impacts. Reduced personal mobility leads, at worst, to a complete lack of access to important facilities and amenities, such as employment, education and health care. In many other cases, problems with accessibility lead to a reduction in choice, which in turn constrains people in their ability to maintain a healthy diet, in opportunities for developing a progressive career path, and for accessing a range of cultural and social amenities. Whilst such a lack of accessibility might cause individuals to be relatively disadvantaged, it is the fact that the phenomenon of social exclusion commonly affects entire communities that elevates the issue to being a major social and political problem. In spite of this, there has generally been little dialogue between the social, transport and environmental policy makers in Europe, so there is a danger that, in the pursuit of a sustainable transport agenda, important issues of social justice may be neglected. Socially excluded groups are rarely involved in the consultation process for transport plans, so there is a possibility that they will continue to be left behind as the planning process addresses the needs and aspirations of the majority. In 2000, however, following the Lisbon Conference, the European Union embarked on a major five-year programme to combat social exclusion. Member States committed to a common agenda of objectives and National Action Plans and the first plans were produced during 2001. These plans are due to be revised in September 2003, so now is a good time to once again consider how transport policies might be used to alleviate the exclusion of the more disadvantaged members of society. WYx¤H*kl╠═E F гдЪЫwx¤√√ЎЎЎЎЎЎЎЎЎ$a$ x¤,1Рh░В. ░╞A!░"░#Ра$Ра%░░─░─ Р─ i8@ё 8 NormalCJ_HaJmH sH tH T@T Heading 2$дЁд<@& 5Б6БCJOJQJ\Б]Б^JaJ<A@Є б< Default Paragraph Font,B@Є, Body Text$a$x    kl╠═EFг д Ъ Ы wzЪ0ААШ0ААШ0ААШ0ААШ0ААШ0ААШ0ААШ0ААШ0ААШ0ААШ0ААЪ0ААx x x ,2zzlв wz   philipbarham}C:\Documents and Settings\philipbarham\Desktop\New Briefcase\Matisse\Communications File\Editorial for ACCESS Mag._031017.doc philipbarhamxC:\Documents and Settings\philipbarham\Application Data\Microsoft\Word\AutoRecovery save of Editorial for ACCESS Mag.asd philipbarhamxC:\Documents and Settings\philipbarham\Application Data\Microsoft\Word\AutoRecovery save of Editorial for ACCESS Mag.asd philipbarhamxC:\Documents and Settings\philipbarham\Application Data\Microsoft\Word\AutoRecovery save of Editorial for ACCESS Mag.asd philipbarhamxC:\Documents and Settings\philipbarham\Application Data\Microsoft\Word\AutoRecovery save of Editorial for ACCESS Mag.asd philipbarhamxC:\Documents and Settings\philipbarham\Application Data\Microsoft\Word\AutoRecovery save of Editorial for ACCESS Mag.asd philipbarhamn\\TTR01\Company\TTR PROJECTS\CURRENT PROJECTS\MATISSE\Communications File\Editorial for ACCESS Mag._031017.doc @АmmX╢ mmx@@  Unknown            GРЗz А Times New Roman5РАSymbol3&Р Зz А Arial"qИЁ╨hзЛzж╦║Жf^<┴ 5Щ !Ёа┤┤ББr0dй╬2ГQЁ  ~There is a growing realisation in Europe that current problems with the exclusion from mainstream society of a number of socia philipbarham philipbarham■ рЕЯЄ∙OhлС+'│┘0ЁРШ ,DP\l ДР м ╕ ─╨╪ршфThere is a growing realisation in Europe that current problems with the exclusion from mainstream society of a number of sociaher philipbarhamowihilhilNormala philipbarhamowi6ilMicrosoft Word 9.0r@┤│! @ЄE┤Ф├@Ттa Y─<┴ ■ ╒═╒Ь.УЧ+,∙о0А hpФЬдм ┤╝─╠ ╘ _фDell Computer Corporationgйэ There is a growing realisation in Europe that current problems with the exclusion from mainstream society of a number of socia Title ■   ■   ■    !"#$%&■   ¤   )■   ■   ■                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Root Entry         └Fапj Y─+А1Table            WordDocument        .SummaryInformation(    DocumentSummaryInformation8            CompObj    jObjectPool            апj Y─апj Y─            ■                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           ■       └FMicrosoft Word Document MSWordDocWord.Document.8Ї9▓q