What is Transport Adequacy? Quantifying experienced transport poverty in the Netherlands

It is increasingly recognized that access to transportation options and relevant destinations is not equally distributed across the population, calling for quantitative indicators to identify groups at risk of transport poverty and exclusion. While this has most commonly been done using accessibility measures based on objective land use and transportation data, we argue that subjective self-reported measures of travel options and accessibility are a useful complement, as they are more suited to account for travellers’ perceptions of limitations in the transportation system and outcomes of these limitations, such as limited access to desired destinations and the fulfilment of needs. Building on initial developments in the field of self-reported perceived accessibility, this paper describes the development and test of a comprehensive quantitative measurement scale of perceived transport adequacy. We propose an eight-item scale, which was tested on data collected in the cities of Utrecht and Rotterdam, the Netherlands in 2021, with a specific emphasis on including socially vulnerable populations in our sample. The transport adequacy scale has a high internal consistency, and a considerable variation across the sample. Descriptive and regression analyses suggest that transport adequacy is lower for those with lower incomes, no car access, and using mobility aids. Finally, subjective transport adequacy is associated with life outcomes, such as achievements in life, quality of social interactions and life satisfaction. The transport adequacy scale is a meaningful indicator of the extent to which travel needs are met and can be a useful tool to monitor autonomous developments and mobility interventions.