The impact of traffic on equality of urban healthcare service accessibility: A case study in Wuhan, China

Accessibility to healthcare services strongly correlates with residents' health. As one of the objectives of sustainable cities, the social equality of access to healthcare plays a vital role in the rational allocation of healthcare facilities. However, limited attention has been paid to how the varying traffic conditions impact the equality of access to public service among places or demographic groups. Taking Wuhan, China, as the study area, this paper measured the hourly accessibility to healthcare by using two methods: Gaussian Two-Step Floating Catchment Area and Weighted Average Travel Time. Then, it investigated how traffic conditions affected the equality of healthcare services among places or demographic groups at different times. We found that traffic conditions change the accessibility by extending travel time and reducing the likelihood of obtaining healthcare services during peak hours, especially for suburban residents. Regarding equality evaluation, the impact of traffic variability on equality across places is much more significant than that on equality across demographic groups. The results highlight the effects of transport on the equal accessibility of healthcare and provide suggestions to minimise spatial and demographic disparities in healthcare services, meet the need of Sustainable Development Goals, and develop a more sustainable and inclusive society.