It seems self-evident that making public transport accessible to all has enormous benefits in terms of inclusion, access to education and employment, social mobility and community integration. Experience from completed Access for All (AfA) schemes bears this out.
This suggests there’s a strong economic and social case for continuing and expanding the programme of AfA improvements to stations across the country. Set against this, there’s the cost.
Providing step-free access to platforms and other enhancements such as improved signage and obstacle-free routes in stations is rarely simple or cheap. Many were built over 100 years ago with no thoughts about accessibility.
WPI Economics, commissioned by health and welfare charity Leonard Cheshire, calculated the total cost of extending step-free access to all UK rail stations at approximately £4.3bn. While that’s a big number, WPI also calculated that achieving 100% step-free access by 2030 would account for only 1.5% of the total annual capital investment in transport infrastructure.
Economic Benefits
There are some pretty big numbers to go into the credit column to balance this out.
Back in 2009 the LSE published a major study looking specifically at the economic impact of strengthening transport links between Leeds and Manchester. It’s a useful model for the effect on earnings when more people have access to centres of economic mass.
It showed that just a 20 minute reduction in journey times would have a marked effect on earnings, with a mid-point increase of £600. In other words, transport access improves earning power. Now extrapolate that to people who, before AfA, found it almost impossible to access those opportunities at all.
Employers also have better access to skilled labour to help them grow and become more productive.
Less Congestion Means More Time
Furthermore, Oxford Economics calculated a net economic benefit of £1.4bn per year through time saved by commuters derived from better public transport in the UK’s six largest cities. Much of this comes from reduced congestion and having more time to work and pursue leisure activities – all in all, a better quality of life.
When people with reduced mobility have access to public transport they tend to make a shift away from car journeys. Less congestion boosts air quality as well as the economy, and has secondary benefits such as fewer accidents.
As well as the obvious benefits of fairness and inclusion, there’s mounting evidence that AfA schemes also offer excellent value for money and a host of environmental and societal benefits.
Find out more at our AfA resource area.
