March 2026

How gender impact assessments spark tangible changes in transport inclusivity

The availability of toilets for tram drivers or the level of lighting around stops may not seem like gender equity issues at first glance, but work undertaken by Victoria’s Department of Transport and Planning has shown how design choices can either disincentivise or encourage women to use public transport, or even work in the industry.

Naomi Langdon, the department’s Director of Roads, Active Transport and Tram Planning, explains how applying gendered and intersectional lenses to public transport planning can uncover overlooked design flaws that are holding back advances in equality.

And her argument is beyond theoretical, with real-world examples setting a benchmark for how planning can be undertaken in a way that is “right for the community”, involving community and public consultation alongside expert analysis.

“In Victoria we’ve got gender impact assessments that have to be done for every business case and project, as well as strategies,” says Naomi, who is also a board director at the TPA.

A gender impact assessment of Melbourne’s tram network was featured as a case study by the Gender Council in Victoria in 2025 with two key findings about how to improve the sector’s inclusivity.

The first insight related to the lack of accessibility of tram driver toilets, which puts women at a greater disadvantage in the workplace.

“What we found was that female drivers were not taking evening and weekend shifts because they didn't feel safe going to the toilet,” Naomi explains.

“Often on the tram network the toilets are not at the terminus, so you might use a toilet by a shop and you have to go down a dark alleyway at night away from the tram.

“There were quite a few safety incidents, and also cleanliness of toilets is an issue when there’s mixed gender usage.”

She says the study helped get tram driver toilets funded, not only addressing a safety problem for women but also an economic imparity.

“It was causing a gender pay gap as well. Those evening and weekend shifts are the ones that get overtime pay and higher rates of pay,” Naomi says.

“So, if the female drivers were not taking those shifts for safety reasons, then we were creating more of a pay gap.”

Another key finding of the report determined what it takes to make a tram stop more accessible, including the art of lighting around the tram stop so that it feels safe, and level access which extends inclusivity to a wide demographic from people in wheelchairs, parents with prams through to people carrying luggage.

Naomi is passionate about finding solutions such as these, as well as in active transport planning to make cycling and pedestrian paths more friendly for women.

“There's a bigger proportion of women who want to cycle but don't feel safe cycling than men. But when you put in really safe, protected bike lanes, the gender equity goes up” she says.

“We have also been doing a lot of work thinking about how we can make it safer for kids to get to school. The number of people driving their kids to school has really skyrocketed, so how do we create safe ways for kids to travel independently to school?

“As much as we’d like it not to be a gendered thing, often getting kids to school is the mother's responsibility. Encouraging safe and independent travel frees up a lot of time then and a lot of opportunity for parents to take on more work, and to live their lives differently as well.”

The TPA board director highlights a desire from many within the industry to attract more voices and perspectives from underrepresented groups, including women.

“We’re designing transport networks for people, so if we don’t have a variety of people who work in our teams who can represent lived experience, we create more hurdles for ourselves in trying to make sure that we're designing networks that are inclusive for everyone,” Naomi explains.

“For graduates, you may look at workplaces and organisations and see a lot of people who don’t necessarily look like you, but that’s as important a reason as any to try to get into the industry to help bring more diversity,

“I think they [graduates] will find there are a lot of people within the industry who are wanting that change and are actively encouraging that change. Make sure you talk to people, make those relationships – networking is really important, as the more people you know, the more different points of view and support you can get to help you over your career.