Transportation

Introduction

The transportation snapshot module will look at data that supports access to public transport and the development of new smart transport solutions. Such data can also be a key tool in improving and maintaining the safety of public transport systems. Data can be used, as well, to promote gender equity in the planning and operation of transport networks.

This snapshot module draws on primary indicators to assess the availability of transportation data focused around:

• road traffic accidents (primary indicator)
• public transport timetables (primary indicator)

Prospective Indicators

• Availability: Road traffic accidents
• Availability: Public transport timetables

Transportation Data and the Public Good

Public transport data is a key tool for making "cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable" (SDG 11), particularly for achieving target 11.2, which calls on governments to "provide access to a safe, affordable, accessible, and sustainable transport system for all, expanding public transport with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities, and older persons."

The UN General Assembly proclaimed 2021–2030 the Decade of Action for Road Safety (WHO). Accurate, updated, and detailed data on traffic crashes is important for improving the safety of transport systems. The same data is also fundamental to informing policies designed to reduce road mortality. SDG 3, on good health and well-being, includes target 3.6, which seeks to reduce global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents.

Module Development Notes

This snapshot module on transportation has been developed both to ensure continuity with past editions of the Open Data Barometer which contained an indicator on public transport timetables and to recognise the significance of the transportation sector.