#BreakTheBias is the theme for this year’s International Women’s Day, with a focus on a gender equal world that is diverse, equitable and inclusive and free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination.

At PJA big steps are being taken to not only to encourage more women into our traditionally male industry, but to make our streets equal for all too. Catriona Swanson, Associate Transport Planner at PJA’s Manchester office, explains more:

Equal streets

I was out on site recently, analysing streets in an area so that we can design safer routes to local schools. I saw a woman trying to push a pushchair up a kerb with a slight lip and she just couldn’t do it. It was at a busy junction, and she ended up having to reverse to get the pushchair up. And the once she’d done that, she had to get through a barrier just to get through a metre long path to get through to another road. Whoever put this kerb and barrier in was not thinking about who was going to be using it, and this woman was being inconvenienced everyday by that decision.

This is just one of so many examples that show our towns and cities have been designed by people who drive everywhere and don’t need to worry about pushchairs and wheelchairs. I’ve done a lot of work to understand what various groups including disabled people need while using the streets – such as dropped kerbs and smooth surfaces – and they just wouldn’t be as obvious to non-disabled people. When streets make movement difficult, it forces people to jump into their cars because it’s easier to drive the short distance that navigate obstacles.

That’s why our industry of transport planners, street engineers and urban designers needs to reflect the people it’s creating places for. Not just more women and mums, but more disabled people too, so that our streets are suitable, safe and enjoyable for everyone to move around.

I’m proud to say that PJA carries out detailed site audits when we’re designing streets and places. We watch how people use the spaces and talk to local people. Perhaps some residents might want a barrier on a pavement to stop anti-social behaviour from cyclists or motorcyclists, but this needs to be understood in the context of the needs of those using wheelchairs, pushchairs or non-standard cycles. It’s about using our training and education to ensure we are designing inclusive and accessible places.

Equal workforce

Equality in the workplace is also becoming a more formalised process at PJA, too. We have a good record of employing women: 27% of our engineers are women, while the industry standard is 14.5%◊ It’s a gender-neutral place, we’re all colleagues and are supported and treated equally. It offers hybrid working and the flexible hours are particularly beneficial for those with children.

But still nearly all the CVs we receive are from men.

So, with my colleagues Lianne Brook and Harriet Haldenby, we’re working on a plan to feed into the existing good practice to recruit and retain more women at PJA.

• Policies, procedures, and training
  PJA is quickly growing, with offices across the UK and in Australia, so it’s a good time to have more policies and procedures in place. Equality and diversity will be a key theme in
  PJA’s Vision and Culture document. We’re also going to introduce equality, diversity and inclusion training, and encourage feedback.
• STEM Ambassadors
  We’ll build on our network of STEM ambassadors at PJA, who will visit schools, colleges and universities to talk to women about careers in transport planning, engineering and placemaking.
• Buddying scheme
  PJA’s buddying scheme will enable junior female members of staff to team up with more senior female members to get day-to-day support as well as career advice.

For more information contact [email protected]; [email protected] or [email protected]

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◊ Engineering UK, Gender disparity in engineering (https://www.engineeringuk.com/research/briefings/gender-disparity-in-engineering/)