Proven Ideas to Create Safer Streets for Women
England is a relatively safe country compared to some others, but still half of young women report harassment in the last year (in France, 25% of all women fear walking alone in public places, with many being verbally harassed).
Obviously don’t walk down dark alleys if you can avoid it, but there is much that town planners can do, to make streets safer for women (and children and all people). Experts recommend:
- Well-lit pavements (use orange wildlife-friendly lights)
- Wide pavements that accommodate prams, pushchairs and wheelchairs
- Avoiding ‘hidden areas’ where prowlers could lurk unseen
- Quick easy access to public transport
- Solar bus stops (that light up when someone is waiting for a bus/train
She City is a book showing town planners how to redesign cities, towns and villages to make women feel safer walking, especially at night. It focuses on walkable communities (so females who don’t drive, don’t have to walk down alleys or along carriageways to buy food). A birthday book for your councillor!
Also download free reports: designing safe cities for women and travelling in a women’s shoes.
Clever Apps to Keep Women Safe
There are many good apps that let users alert others if they feel unsafe (from producing ‘fake’ incoming calls, to alerting others where you are):
- HollieGuard shares your location every 5 seconds, and features a personal alarm and evidence catcher. HollieGuard Extra can be used to trigger a response from emergency services.
- WalkSafe can track journeys, share locations and find ‘safe spaces’.
- bSafe enables emergency response teams to act within seconds. It uses voice command (even if your phone is inaccessible), with live GPS tracking and auto-response communication.
- EPowar offers instant emergency alerts, automatic attack detection, and reliable storing of evidence on the Cloud. You can also store live location with selected friends.
- Safetipin clicks photos every 30 minutes at night, and can send info to report how safe women feel on streets, public transport or at public toilets. Again you can send a tracking request if you feel unsafe, check out nearby safe places to wait for help, and find the safest route.
Tips to Prevent Stalking and Rape
Warning signs of stalkers include people showing up uninvited, repeated calls, text messages or gifts, someone trying to track movements, contacting your family or friends, and being watched or monitored (including online).
If safe to do so, tell the person to stop contact, and keep a record of messages and incidents. If you feel at risk, share worries with someone you trust. Rape Crisis or Victim Support give practical advice. Police also have dedicated officers to help (call 101 or 999 in an emergency).
It’s Time to Learn Some Self-Defence!
Streetwise Defence offers in-person and online self-defence classes for people of all ages and sexes. Also ideal for workplaces, schools and community groups. Learn how to get out of a stranglehold or grab, to make a quick getaway. There’s also a free mini-course.
These classes were created by a former kick-boxer (and his wife), who decided to use their immense knowledge, to create empowering self-defence courses.
Empowered by Ashley: A Personal Alarm
Empowered by Ashley is England’s most popular personal alarm. One pull of the pin from this reusable silicone device, and attackers are struck by a noise as loud as a jet engine, and a bright flashing LED strobe. Obviously this is not ‘natural’, but can save your life, if you are being attacked.
