are provided appropriate resources to address their individual needs. Therefore, resource allocation 6
may differ between communities .
Figure 17: This is a common diagram used to illustrate the concept of Equity versus Equality. Equality is demonstrated on the left, where six boxes (units of aid) are given equally to three people despite their differences in height (need). The two boxes are more than enough for the tall person to reach the fruit high in the tree (goal). Two boxes, however, are just enough for the person of medium height but still not enough for the short person (the one with the most need) to reach the high hanging fruit. When resources are distributed equally, some people may be given more assistance then they need, while others are still not given enough. Equity is demonstrated on the right where the same six boxes (units of aid) are distributed to three people based on their differences in height (need). The tall person is given just one box as that is all (the aid) that person needs. The person of medium height is again given two boxes as that remains the amount of boxes (aid) this person needs to reach the high hanging fruit (goal). Finally, the short person is given three boxes (units of aid) as this is the additional level of assistance that person needed to be able to reach the fruit in the tree (goal). Source: Modified version of an image obtained from the Maine Office of Health Equity website.
The introduction of equity to the SRTS planning formula is an effort to better focus limited SRTS resources to communities and groups that have been often underserved, have greater needs and/or have been more negatively affected by transportation planning decisions of the past and the transportation infrastructure now found in their local community.
6
Minnesota DOT. SRTS webpage. Available at http://www.dot.state.mn.us/mnsaferoutes/. Accessed on November 23, 2015.
P a g e 44 | Chapter 2: About Safe Routes to School (SRTS)
