The U.S. Transportation Department’s Quest to Become a Driver of Justice
In May, the agency published a request for information seeking public input on a list of questions such as, “If the department were to create transportation equity indices, what key indicators should they include?” and, “What are approaches that DOT can take to ensure that individuals from underserved populations are represented in our data collection efforts?” DOT is looking for ways to directly measure how its regular funding distributions, grant programs and internal policies serve the needs of marginalized groups, with attention to gaps in accessibility, affordability, reliability and other expressions of social inequity, Stephanie Lawrence, director of the office of statistical & economic analysis for the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, said at a June 25 webinar.