By Joshua Potter-Efron, UWEC Social Work Professor
Transportation is in crisis.
Transportation is something many of us take for granted. Taking transportation for granted might not be quite accurate. We are aware that we need to put gas in our cars and maybe put off doing so if the day is a bit too cold to want to stand at the gas pump. Perhaps we have a certain amount of money set aside in case there is a repair that may be needed and we have to make sure we are paying out insurance and addressing the annual fee of our car tags, etc. We might also have to remember that the “day” we get the ticket for parking on the street matches the day it will be at midnight, not the day we parked the car. Yet for all the minor inconveniences and an occasional major hurdle, we still know that we have reliable transportation that can get us to the grocery store, to our jobs, and maybe a weekend trip up to the Twin Cities or down to Madison.
As a social worker, though, I am very aware that this is not true for everyone and that, in fact, many people reading these words may not have the privilege of having their own vehicle. This creates barriers both for everyday tasks such as buying groceries, but also for important services such as seeing a doctor, dentist, or accessing other services.
Older adults may have challenges getting to their medical services. College students may find their activities limited to those on or near campus. People who are currently unhoused often struggle to get themselves to the services they need. A large number of Eau Claire and Wisconsin residents are also increasingly needing to choose between food, gas, and utilities, and even those with employment may still find themselves struggling with transportation.
What exactly are the barriers? How does transportation reduce or enable people to access services and how are those services impacted by transportation services in Eau Claire? What would enable those who use transit services to also shape the policies around them? Eau Claire is currently considering a substantial cut in transportation services, and it raises a question. A question JONAH, in conjunction with the Eau Claire Social Work Department, had already started exploring before the potential budget cuts came to light.
“What is the impact of transportation on access to services and the ability of those people to shape policy that shapes those services?” Currently two interns, Sydney Hake and Brady Dehnke, are exploring this with me and Aaron Willis, professors in the Social Work Department at UWEC. So far these students have completed an extensive literature review, and with support from the Social Work Research Lab will be developing questions for focus groups to explore this question. In addition to the literature review, Sydney and Brady have also interviewed select individuals connected to JONAH who have knowledge of the bussing system in Eau Claire to make sure that their research is balanced with a practical understanding of how that literature applies to the local environment. Sydney and Brady will be presenting their information locally. Over the summer, the hope is that the questions developed will be approved for official research that can support us in finding local answers for the transportations needs of everyone here in Eau Claire from the people who actually use those services. Hopefully we can provide an update as we continue the process!