Street Smart: Refusing To Be Intimidated By Leery, Beery Men: Or Why Women Should Be Able To Walk Around Freely, Unhassled…
Infrastructure is the problem. The area where I live is intended for cars and drivers first. Pedestrians walk on poorly maintained pavements, badly lit (due to a city council cost saving exercise) and against traffic for most of the time. To make things worse, buses are terrible in the later evening — when they are most needed. For example, the night bus runs hourly and only during term times!
Over the time I’ve lived in this area, I seen a convenient bus service, leaving from from straight outside the train station, relocated to the city centre, and replaced by an hourly service, which finishes early. Where once I could get off a train and wait fairly safely for a bus, I now face a walk up hill in the dark and against the cat calls of passing drivers — if they’re so inclined. You may also stumble over a man having a wee in the dark if you are particularly unlucky. Thankfully both of these occurrences are rare — it isn’t pleasant to have a male driver slow beside you and start passing comments, all of them unwanted and unnecessary — when you are trying to power up a hill to get your bus! You also don’t know if this is just going to end in comments — are they going to get out, or try and pull you in? Ditto the weeing men in public — though they are more of an unsightly eyesore than a stranger danger. Most of all, the digging up of the pedestrianised area infront of the station for months (to allegedly make it better, but in reality make more room for buses — and cars), the loss of the majority of the pavement causing a dilemma between walking in the dark road, with cars (!) or up a dark path next to a car park. How was this better (unless you were in a car?) (All buses were cancelled at the train station stop during this time, and relocated to the city centre. When eventually most of the building works ceased, the bus switch had happened, so the inconvenience continued. You used to be able to go train station to train station by circular looping bus — now…)
So, a hour service where you need it most Up the hill, a more frequent, half hour wait — with odd timings which leave you hanging around and never match with train arrival times. It used to run every 20 minutes — the current 30 minute wait can be an unnerving time to loiter. Sometimes, you can tip the odds by walking to the next stop, where you may be able to get more choice of timings — but it’s very dark (even if the bus stop glows in the dark), next to a park, itself mostly badly lit, and a passing place for the merry — and the drunk — on a night out. However, as I watched (heart in mouth) as lone women walked along a dark path in the parkland, I realised that the nearby park had become a busy passing place for local university students. Perhaps this makes it better, and a bit safer as it will be busier and more regularly used?
More annoying still are the limitations of public transport, on top of their placings and timings. There is a fantastic arthouse cinema — but abysmally served by buses. I wanted to see a showing which started at 8pm and finished at 10.50pm. There aren’t any buses at this time in this area, never mind door to door, and even during the day, the nearest bus stop has lost its live time information, leaving you to guess work and prayer. The more I think about, the more I see how people aren’t wanted in the area around the cinema — plenty of parking, but barely anywhere to sit — unless you’re in a pub or bar.
Accordingly, there’s a walk back to the city centre in the dark. One side of the walk is parkland and restaurants; the other a mish-mash of offices. (The parkland is beautiful and family centred during the day — but at night, flurrying with noxious cigarette smoke). Weighing it up, both sides have terrible lighting. It’s also deserted and whichever way you go, you face risk and traffic. Having crossed a junction, or avoided it via a convenient short cut next to a live music pub, there is then the ‘choice’ of walking up the High Street — which is really badly lit, contains pubs and several restaurants which spill out onto the street, and features uneven paving or pulling off down a side road into a much quieter, though still major street, which is residential, prettier and better lit.
I’ve done the quieter route many, many times before and never had any issues. There’s even a light to trip as you start it. Though this was later at night than usual. It was also unusually warm weather — rain vs late warm evenings can make such a difference to a walking route, and who is about. There are a couple of pubs off roads from this route, but it’s mostly tranquil. But not this night — I relished the actual lighting and being able to see where my feet were going. Out of a side street, opposire side of the road, two guys appeared and cat called me. I was very very aware that the street I was in was deserted and I was a very lone female walker. I was practically dressed for walking — and running if necessary. But I couldn’t helped, but feel hunted. I increased my pace and sped off, worried that I was being followed, and that they would get closer, or try to stop me. I didn’t look back.
At the same time, I raged — why couldn’t I walk where I wanted to when I wanted to, why did unknown men feel the need to shout, to comment, to behave inappropriately to an obviously solo woman about her own business and trying to walk safely? Why did they feel the need to make me feel unsafe? Why are buses so awful at night when you most need them? The rage boiled inside me to fury — I refused to be intimidated by the leery, beery, unpleasant men on the streets. I stood tall, thumped as I crossed covers of yet more dug up parts of the city’s roads and pavements, relied on my being able to speed walk (and run if necessary) and have never been so glad to see the cheerful bright lights of a parked bus — and a ‘normal’ person on their phone sat on the pavement.
Unfortunately, this was not my bus — and there was still some way to go. Again, further ahead, I was glad to see a ‘normal’ couple I could tuck in and around and behind, and use as a shield if necessary. I’d decided by now that I wasn’t being pursued any longer — but didn’t bother to stop for pedestrian crossing lights or to tolerate any slow walkers mesmerised by glowing screens or whatever. Reached the bus stop, finally —to discover a 24 minute wait! Walked to the next bus stop — loads of people! Huzzah! — who then all upped and left on the next bus. The area was lairy and felt unsafe, particularly when a creepy guy walked past whistling two passing women. But there was only a 12 minute wait… Even better two guys waiting at the same stop plugged into Bollywood songs and sang along, sweetly. A ‘normal’ looking couple arrived, a woman. Even better, the bus …which got me safely home.
Out of all of this, I feel furious — because I shouldn’t have had to go through it. The infrastructure is splintered — and I wonder which section of the public ‘public transport’ is actually working for. At the same time I’m aware I’m in an urban area — this isn’t the terribly under-resourced public transport of many rural areas, such as the many villages in Cambridgeshire which suddenly had the plug pulled on their bus service.
Maybe I made the wrong choice — perhaps the badly lit and gloomy High Street with its pubs and restaurants was the better option, purely due to busyness (and security on the doors if needed). Maybe I shouldn’t even try to walk around at night and just rely on taxis and ubers? Maybe I should only go with friends and wait for them to be free and willing to do the activity I long to see or do? Maybe abandon night time all together? Never go out, apart from in daylight?
By no means! I’m reclaiming the night-time streets — I enjoyed the film. Fact is, this is a male problem — not mine. I should be able to walk around freely without being commented on, enduring unwanted conversations or calls or behaviours, without cars pulling up alongside me to tell me and other walking women what they think of us, without being rated, harassed, honked at or obstructed. It just shouldn’t be happening.
Part of the problem is the defeated infrastructure — public spaces are generally built for cars and bikes/scooters — not people. Lighting and paving needs to improve — having to constantly stumble over layered broken tarmac is a hazard in itself. Public transport needs to be better positioned, located, timed. It has to be as convenient as jumping in a car. Some European cities can do it, so why not us?
Men also need to take a look at themselves- the ones who shout at women walking — and the ones who don’t. For the ones who don’t, we need you as our allies to help, to counter the shouting, to shut your mates up and make them drive on, walk away, to give space, to be respectfully silent. A lovely man got off the pavement and walked on the road to give me space the other day — I wasn’t afraid of him as we walked towards each other, but it was a kind, thoughtful gesture. Non-shouty, non-leery men — think of your sisters and work on your brothers.
To the shouters — do shut up. It’s not flattering or endearing — it’s creepy, intimidating, unwanted, invasive and a power play. We don’t want it, your words and whistles — or indeed you. Become better men, and stay silent as your sisters walk the streets trying to get home because buses are rubbish and they want to stay safe. Don’t speed up when they speed up, don’t tailgate them, don’t pull up alongside them as they walk miserable routes to public transport, don’t feel the need to comment your feelings — as they are deeply inappropriate. Instead create safer streets by being different — by becoming safe men around women.
In my city, we also need to think about our drinking culture, because it seems to be so much a part of our identity here. You can shop and you can pub. Nothing against a night out, but we don’t have the cultural vibe of a major city where regular people are out later. Apart from a cinema and a smattering of restaurants, most cafes, shops and eating places are closed by early evening. Noticeably most of the people out later are students; those who aren’t obvious students are mostly male — and often drunk. And gathered in loud packs. And apart from pockets of people, the residential streets are mostly deserted — badly lit, poorly paved. Where are the women? Not walking? In taxis and ubers? In cars? Stuck at home because of fear and the realities of feeling unsafe?
And these unsafe/safe streets are for men too as statistically men are more likely than women to get attacked at night — just for walking, or being in a certain place at a certain time… So more Reclaim the Streets, and more Strut Safe please!
Old articles: but things haven’t changed…They need to!
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/women/women-walking-home-winters-nights-b1967888.html
https://shewasjustwalkinghome.com/
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