Developing Equality Impact Assessments (EqIAs) for UK streets

Urban streets are important public spaces and movement corridors, which means that the way in which they are used and managed can have a strong impact on equity and social inclusion. In this context, Steer has worked with several clients in the UK to understand the equalities impacts of proposed changes to streets by developing Equality Impact Assessments (EqIAs). Our work in this field has been commended, with a disability group commenting that they "would like to hold [one of Steer’s EqIAs] up as good practice."

When developing an EqIA, our first step is always to develop a sound evidence base to understand how different groups use streets and how the negative impacts of transport may disproportionately affect different groups, for example by:

• Using travel survey data to understand whether certain groups (such as women or people of certain ethnicities) are more likely to use particular modes of transport
• Reviewing consultation responses to understand the nuances in how people with disabilities use streets
• Analysing road safety data to determine whether older people who are involved in a collision are more likely to be killed or seriously injured
• Mapping census data to understand the distribution of deprived households in an area, and whether there is any correlation with areas exposed to poor air quality

Having this evidence base to hand allows our experts to identify any disproportionate impacts in an informed manner. This in turn enables us to draw on our street design expertise to identify practical and feasible mitigation measures, for example amending a design detail or reconsidering the operational aspects of a project.

Steer has completed EqIAs for several projects, ranging from work on a specific street through to strategic transport policies. We have applied our expertise in this field for many local authorities, including the City of London, City of Westminster and London Borough of Enfield.