news: Gender and Transport in Port Moresby
Monday 4th June 2018
Working for UN Women, ITP has been conducting detailed data collection and analysis in the capital city of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby. Papua New Guinea is one of the world’s most diverse countries, with over 850 known languages. As the capital city, Port Moresby has the challenge of bringing a large number of national cultures together in one place. This occasionally violent clash, combined with poor levels of service on public transport and high levels of crime, reduces women’s safety and comfort while accessing and using the 25-seater buses that serve as the city’s only form of mass transit.
The purpose of ITP’s study has been to understand the movements people make, and the difficulties they face - in particular the difficulties faced by women who suffer from harassment when travelling by public transport. By combining insights from population and route analysis surveys, focus groups and stakeholder interviews, ITP is drawing up a series of recommendations to help the newly formed Road Traffic Authority make evidence-led decisions about how best to develop an inclusive, safe, and accessible public transport system for all, incorporating women’s mobility needs.
