| It has often been argued that transportation costs and benefits are not equally shared by all segments of society. Some populations are favored by current transportation policy, provided with ample room upon which to operate personal vehicles, and other populations, too poor to afford private transportation, must use inadequate and chronically under-funded public transportation systems. The result of such policy is a mismatch of benefits and costs, as inner-city neighborhoods frequently are divided by wide expressways leading to the suburbs yet lack the resources to utilize such highways. Transportation policy has important implications for environmental justice, public space, and quality of life concerns, but has been constructed to cater to the mobile middle and upper classes. Transit administrators, because of such transportation policy, are left with a remarkably large degree of discretion over the mobility and access of those who use their services. Without public transportation options, many Americans lack basic access to employment, education, and healthcare, and administrators in mass transit agencies have the power to ease or complicate their movements. In view of this, how do transit administrators view justice? How do they measure it? Is social justice an explicit part of the daily operations of mass transit agencies? Are administrators aware of the justice concerns of transportation policy?;The purpose of this research is to critically examine the role of social justice in the administration of public transit agencies. The results will demonstrate the extent to which equity, accessibility, and fairness are conscious elements of transportation administrators' decision making processes and enhance the developing body of literature on transportation equity. |
