Mobility of the Poor in Two European Metropolises: Car Dependence Versus Locality Dependence

Abstract

International audienceBased on a comparative study of the mobility of the poor in and around Paris and London, and backed by statistics and qualitative surveys, this paper exposes the greater car dependency of the poor in the UK than in France. Aside from the sociological factors (family mutual support networks), differing urban planning and transport policies are part of the reason why

Excess accident risk among residents of deprived areas

“…), these residents are generally less mobile than elsewhere. They notably travel significantly less in cars (the motorisation rate is still relatively lower in these neighbourhoods), rarely use public transportation and walk more (Harzo and Rosales-Montano, 1995;Coutard et al, 2004;Mignot and Rosales-Montano, 2006).…”

Transport Policy and the Car Divide in the UK, the US and France: Beyond the Environmental Debate

“…Finally, in terms of access to employment opportunities, as we noted in an earlier section, various indicators point to the emergence of localized micro‐labor markets. Thus, while lower levels of mobility among the poor have been categorized by various actors as indicative of ‘insularity’ or ‘confinement to a localized territory’ (Le Breton, 2005: 87), ‘withdrawal’ (Donzelot, 2004: 19), or even ‘disastrous immobility’ (Lévy, 2000: 161), we see them more as evidence of strategies that make the most effective use possible of local resources than as a form of enforced confinement within a given neighbourhood, as shown by our previous work on the French and British cases (Coutard et al. , 2002; 2004).…”

“…Indeed, our previous work (Coutard et al. , 2002; 2004) and other studies have shown that the cost of owning and using a car is prohibitive for a significant share of households confronted with barriers to mobility, in particular low‐income households (STPP, 2003), which are often further penalized by the fluctuating and unpredictable nature of their income.…”

“…Besides, the advantages provided by automobiles depend to a large extent on where the poor live and work. In France and the UK, a significant portion of poor urban households now live in areas that contain not merely indispensable resources (facilities, services, stores and jobs), but also social and family networks (Coutard et al. , 2002; 2004).…”

“…The car dependence spiral would accelerate, thus leading to a huge jump in demand. As we have seen, this spiral is currently checked by the limited revenues of poor families and by the fact that such families are clustered in areas that still offer minimal levels of services, and in some cases jobs, relatively close by (Coutard et al. , 2002; 2004).…”