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Opinion We need public transport that feels safe for women

Perceptions of safety are a significant factor in women’s travel choices, so we need to create a better environment, writes Rachel Cahill.

IN THESE PANDEMIC times, we have seen women bearing a huge share of the load of this crisis.

Employment sectors such as tourism, retail, hospitality, and aviation have been hit the hardest by the Covid-19 pandemic. In the EU women account for 61% of workers in these industries.

In Ireland, the unemployment rate amongst women rose by 53.8% and 23% for men between July and September 2020.

Globally, this has shone a light on the highly gendered division of labour. Focusing on women’s mobility needs, supporting their vital work and their right to full participation and wellbeing, has never seemed more important.

Unmet needs 

Travelling in a Woman’s Shoes is a recent report commissioned by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), bringing to life the experiences of women in Ireland through data gathering and real-life stories.

The study focuses on the travel behaviours of women in Ireland and shows that women have transport needs that are often unmet by current system design. It identifies design challenges and ways to improve equal access to the transport network and found a growing desire among women to take up more sustainable modes of transport.

Door-to-door safety, family-friendliness and proximity are key considerations when designing new infrastructure.

A two-step research methodology was developed, first uncovering behaviours and needs through 21 ethnographic interviews with women in Dublin and Cork, then validating the findings quantitatively through a nationally representative survey of 1000 respondents.

The interviews highlighted that public transport provides many women with moments of peace giving them time to unwind between work and caring for the family.

The study identified life-stage as a critical determinant of travel behaviour. Researchers observed young women juggling many duties such as work, education, household responsibilities and community activities.

With many women still performing most of the caring responsibilities in households, having a child was a notable turning point for a woman’s relationship with mobility.

With children and a pram in tow, the women interviewed found that it was neither convenient nor enjoyable to use public transport.

Women who previously used public transport switched to the car, perceiving it as the most reliable and child-friendly transport option. For some, this involved purchasing their first car, often shifting their habits permanently.

Interestingly, as many women interviewed grew older, they turned to walking, cycling and public transport for a break from the car on weekends and holidays.

For some, public transport was an adventure or a break from their daily routine.

Safety first 

The report also found that women feel “heavily responsible” for their safety when travelling. There was an ingrained fear and burden for women going about their daily lives.

Whilst unsafe and violent incidents are not an everyday occurrence for most Irish women, a single incident significantly impacts a woman’s sense of safety, well-being, and travel choices.

One bad incident is enough to alter a woman’s relationship to transport fundamentally.

One woman, Gillian, said the lack of reliability made her lose the habit of getting the bus, while “scary” incidents made her nervous about taking public transport alone. 

“There have been two or three occasions when Jim [her husband] and I have been on the bus when it was attacked with stones. Legally, the bus driver is not allowed to continue driving so you have to get off the bus and risk it. You would then have to walk home and I would not want to walk home if that happened so I prefer taking a taxi if I am going out without Jim,” Gillian told researchers. 

Similarly, the unsafe experiences of friends, family or those heard on the news can make women more vigilant or “prepared” with flat shoes, modified clothing and makeshift weapons when going out.

19-year-old Alice told researchers that she and her friends are always thinking ahead when getting ready to go out – developing their own workaround to feel safe:

You want to draw the least attention to yourself as possible. I bring a big coat so I can wrap up and hide in it. If you need to run you don’t want to waste time getting your heels off.

The report found that 1 in 3 public transport users have seen or experienced some form of harassment or violence while using public transport. Both men and women across Ireland are equally likely to experience violence.

Still, sexual harassment and assault are predominantly experienced by women, especially in Dublin.

Perceptions of safety are a significant factor in women’s travel choices. 55% of women surveyed, would not use public transport after dark or late at night. A further 34% of women stating that this insecurity has on occasion stopped them from going out altogether.

For Irish women, a lack of safety infrastructure and support from fellow passengers often exacerbated women’s feelings of isolation and vulnerability when travelling.

To build trust in alternative modes of transport, we need to create an environment that feels safe through initiatives like lighting, route design, better incident reporting, and co-designing solutions with women.

This study is the first step towards creating a more equitable travel experience and we now need to focus on how we collect gender-disaggregated data to balance the apparent male bias in the design of future transport solutions.

TII has developed a tool, ‘Applying a Gender Lens to TII Public Transport Projects’, in conjunction with an international expert advisor on gender, a checklist tool aiming to put gender-sensitive thinking at the core of the transport design.

Our work has identified several interventions that would improve women’s experience using transport and require more than just TII to implement.

Rachel Cahill is head of the chief executive office at Transport Infrastructure Ireland 

This work is co-funded by Journal Media and a grant programme from the European Parliament. Any opinions or conclusions expressed in this work is the author’s own. The European Parliament has no involvement in nor responsibility for the editorial content published by the project. For more information, see here

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78 Comments
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    Mute Garden Shed
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    Aug 7th 2021, 7:33 AM

    I feel like these articles are often just published to get the comment section going.. But why does it need to be gendered? Can we not just make public transport safe for everyone?

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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Aug 7th 2021, 7:36 AM

    @Garden Shed: Exactly.

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    Mute John Mulligan
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    Aug 7th 2021, 9:05 AM

    @Garden Shed: because women are more vulnerable, and because a certain cohort feel empowered to hassle women on public transport.

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    Mute Daniela Monza
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    Aug 7th 2021, 9:28 AM

    @Garden Shed: it needs to be gendered because the experience of using public transportation is different for men and women. It’s the main topic of the article

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    Mute Robert Breen
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    Aug 7th 2021, 9:36 AM

    @Garden Shed: because packed trains and unpacked trains are risky for women.
    The girl beside me in the office gets her bottom pinched when packed (all different men).
    When she does overtime and in a carriage on her own with a man late at night they look menacingly at her and she’s scared

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    Mute Bríann O Connor
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    Aug 7th 2021, 11:02 AM

    @Garden Shed: did you not read or understand the article?

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    Mute Dan Broderick
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    Aug 7th 2021, 1:44 PM

    @Garden Shed: men are more likely to be victims of an unprovoked assault but women FEEL more worried about it, Ireland is a safer place for women than it is for men but let’s just ignore that inconvenient fact to appease the 3rd wave feminists with a victim mentality.

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Aug 7th 2021, 3:17 PM

    @Garden Shed: Of course, but my first thought was that I see a lot of children travelling (mostly with women). And carers are often women. So I did read it in the context of an awareness that there are a lot of responsible people commuting who have vulnerable people with them and are fed up with the antics of the people of any gender or none causing trouble.

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    Mute Daisy Smith
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    Aug 7th 2021, 7:46 AM

    If there was a deterrent of meaningful consequences for these behaviours it would help.

    Speaking from my own experiences, the impact of these events on victims are long lasting. I was “upskirted” at a dart station and the guards never even turned up. I’ve since seen the perpetrator locally and have ended up changing my route out of fear and worry.

    I also was witness to several j unkies pass out after smoking H at the back of a bus packed with kids. The guards who said they couldn’t help as they couldn’t predict what local district they would get off the bus at.

    There just seems to be a lack of enthusiasm for action on the part of those tasked with protecting the public, until, that is, they are asked by journalists or politicians to account for themselves.

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    Mute Mary Paget
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    Aug 7th 2021, 9:06 AM

    @Daisy Smith: get a grip on yourself

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    Mute Paul Clancy
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    Aug 7th 2021, 10:17 AM

    @Daisy Smith: you can still report the incident at any Garda station.

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    Mute Robert Breen
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    Aug 7th 2021, 10:33 AM

    @Mary Paget: upskirted is a very traumatic experience. It happened to our neighbour. She was coming home from a job interview on the train.
    She had to refuse the job because it meant using public transport late at night

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    Mute Paul Cunningham
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    Aug 7th 2021, 4:42 PM

    @Mary Paget: Upskirting has consequences on some Asian transport networks and should have consequences here. Its a lewd act that should be punished.

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    Mute ShaneO'Mac
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    Aug 7th 2021, 8:27 AM

    I want public transport that is safe for everyone. School children should feel safe, pensioners should feel safe, while middle aged women AND men should feel safe. Not being put in danger is a very human want/need regardless of age or race or gender or sexual orientation or height or weight or if you collect stamps or not.

    If public transport is unsafe, it’s unsafe for everyone. If it’s safe, it’s safe for everyone.

    Without Googling, I can guarantee that most victims of assault on public transport are men. But that doesn’t suit the ones who are blinded by their of identity politics.

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    Mute Daniela Monza
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    Aug 7th 2021, 9:30 AM

    @ShaneO’Mac: what are you basing your guarantee that most victims of assault on public transport are men, your own opinion? To implement policy changes they might need some more robust data behind them

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    Mute Robert Breen
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    Aug 7th 2021, 10:41 AM

    @ShaneO’Mac: the pensioner next door to us uses the late night bus from town every Thursday, when she travels home from bingo and the pub.
    She brings her “walking stick” with her. It doubles up as a weapon! It is wrought iron with a concealed sharp pen knife as the end! She swings it at anyone who dares to come within 20 feet of her!

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    Mute Alan Wright
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    Aug 7th 2021, 11:20 AM

    @Daniela Monza: These are the real stats that shows men are the majority of victims of violent crime (source from the cso) everyone deserves safe public transport: https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-rcvo/recordedcrimevictims2019andsuspectedoffenders2018/

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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Aug 7th 2021, 7:36 AM

    I never read such nonsense.

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    Mute Daisy Smith
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    Aug 7th 2021, 7:47 AM

    @David Corrigan: Can I ask why you think it’s nonsense?

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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Aug 7th 2021, 8:07 AM

    @Daisy Smith: Sure Daisy. You said it yourself in your post above.

    “There just seems to be a lack of enthusiasm for action on the part of those tasked with protecting the public, until, that is, they are asked by journalists or politicians to account for themselves.”

    Protection should be there for everyone. I am sorry about what happened to you at that train station but unfortunately it is happening to everyone i.e. kids, adults and elderly.
    I think the cops know their hands are tied. If they catch those perps they know they will be receive a suspended sentence and no fine. We have perps wondering around our country with 401 previous convictions. That is just not right.

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    Mute John Mulligan
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    Aug 7th 2021, 9:06 AM

    @David Corrigan: if politicians were obliged to only use public transport, it would be superb, and very safe.

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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Aug 7th 2021, 9:12 AM

    @John Mulligan: Absolutely.

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    Mute Dave O'Keeffe
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    Aug 7th 2021, 10:15 AM

    @David Corrigan: OK but speaking specifically of Daisy’s attack which you were, it is definitely not happening to men

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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Aug 7th 2021, 10:27 AM

    @Dave O’Keeffe: Just Google “Man assaulted at train station Ireland” Dave.
    There was the case of two gay men getting assaulted in Kildare last year. There are many other cases.

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    Mute Robert Breen
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    Aug 7th 2021, 10:45 AM

    @David Corrigan: so you don’t believe the research done?

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    Mute Alan Wright
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    Aug 7th 2021, 11:44 AM

    @Robert Breen: do you believe this research, that men make up the majority of violent crime?: https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-rcvo/recordedcrimevictims2019andsuspectedoffenders2018/

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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Aug 7th 2021, 1:40 PM

    @Robert Breen: Where did I say that Bobby?

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Aug 7th 2021, 3:24 PM

    @David Corrigan: Just once a week, try getting on a bus in drag. Please. I’d like to see how you handle it without losing it.

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    Mute Thomas Smyth
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    Aug 7th 2021, 9:03 AM

    (1/2) I’m a 6’2″ guy and I don’t always feel safe on public transport. I can’t imagine how women feel. Dave Chappelle has a good bit on it where he describes the time he travelled on the subway with thousands of dollars in his bag and imagined that’s what it’s like for women all the time.

    This talk of making things more “equitable” by focusing on gender is nonsense though. To steal a phrase, reality has a male bias. There is no “male bias” in transport design. Men are stronger on average and there’s an imbalance in hormones/sex drive that means women are more likely to be victims of sexual assault wherever they are in this world.

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    Mute Thomas Smyth
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    Aug 7th 2021, 9:06 AM

    (2/2) Public transport needs to be made safer for everyone. This line is most telling, “We need to create an environment that feels safe through initiatives like lighting, route design, better incident reporting, and co-designing solutions with women”. Not a single mention of transport police, keeping junkiiies and gangs of marauding teenagers off public transport or any sort of justice system reform that actually punishes criminals with more than concurrent suspended sentences. What’s the point of having better lighting if there’s nobody around to stop the crime or any hope the perpetrator will be punished. It’s all nice words but no action as usually. They need to be seen to be doing something. To steal another phrase, they’ll do nothin’.

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    Mute Thomas Smyth
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    Aug 7th 2021, 9:09 AM

    Apparently the J word is banned. The Journal should publish a list of words you’re not allowed to use. It would save a lot of time. Even with the J word the comment had a 2.7 toxic rating so that was no use.

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    Mute Daniela Monza
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    Aug 7th 2021, 9:36 AM

    @Thomas Smyth: male bias has been the subject of research in several instances and it is being proven as a fact (you know, design jobs are frequently held by men, so it’s not difficult to understand), and women are not more likely to be victims because they are weak, men are more likely to be perpetrators because they are more likely to get away with it. Enough with this unhelpful (biased) actitude

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    Mute Mary Paget
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    Aug 7th 2021, 11:25 AM

    @Thomas Smyth: oh get a car ffs

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    Mute Thomas Smyth
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    Aug 7th 2021, 11:47 AM

    @Daniela Monza: I agree people are more likely to commit criminals acts if they’re more likely to get away with it. I made that point. You’re logic doesn’t hold up though because getting away with it doesn’t account for the disparity between genders. Criminals tend to be cowards and pick easy targets. That and biology explain the disparity. It’s not difficult.

    As a male designer myself I find the assertion that there’s a male bias in design humourous. I’d love a few examples. You might educate me.

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    Mute Mary Paget
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    Aug 7th 2021, 12:13 PM

    @Thomas Smyth: do you ever give t a break

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    Mute Thomas Smyth
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    Aug 7th 2021, 2:40 PM

    @Mary Paget: I give my car a break when I approach a red light.

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Aug 7th 2021, 3:26 PM

    @Thomas Smyth: I wonder if you’ve considered how often senior citizens prefer getting a lift to travelling on public transport on their own?

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    Mute Thomas Smyth
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    Aug 7th 2021, 5:41 PM

    @Fiona Fitzgerald: I have no idea what you’re talking about. Are you sure you’re responding to the right person?

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Aug 7th 2021, 6:19 PM

    @Thomas Smyth: Sorry, I’m agreeing with you and that was a good analogy.
    (Except where you reckoned men are stronger. That does depend on age and health. I was thinking that our older senior citizens don’t even have the option to drive their own cars, and that Age Action for example should also be involved in planning.)

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    Mute Pauline Gallagher
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    Aug 9th 2021, 7:59 PM

    @Daniela Monza: Women get away with a lot more crime then men, and everything Thomas said was right. Try travelling to work in cities like London by tube and bus. Very dangerous world for women, believe me.

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    Mute Cookie
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    Aug 7th 2021, 9:44 AM

    Were those boys who threw the girl under the train at Howth Junction ever charged?

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    Mute Robert Breen
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    Aug 7th 2021, 10:55 AM

    @Cookie: they got fined

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    Mute Gavin Linden
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    Aug 7th 2021, 9:05 AM

    Very large morning yawn on this one Rachel.

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    Mute feargal ‘2 metres’ de cantuin
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    Aug 7th 2021, 8:42 AM

    The transport authorities must bear the brunt of the blame for disposing of bus conductors to save themselves money. The wider society bears blame for allowing problem drink and drug culture to flourish on the public streets with impunity. Buses aren’t the only place people aren’t safe. Finally our bus workers unions are so weak that their members are targets for violence, racist abuse and robbery while the wider trade union movement fawns on the politicians of the right wing laissez faire culture. Where are the protests on unsafe working conditions?

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    Mute Arch Angel
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    Aug 7th 2021, 1:43 PM

    @feargal ‘2 metres’ de cantuin: The CSO’s statistics show men are far more likely than women to be assaulted, although women are more likely to face sexual assault. The author ignores this and only concentrates upon women in her survey and their transport needs, at one point saying “both men and women across Ireland are equally likely to experience violence.” Imagine doing a survey on racism and only concentrating on white people, how would that go down?
    Yes, there are varieties of people on public transport we’d all rather avoid, those who insist on talking loudly on mobile phones, on eating anything and everything, on removing their shoes and clipping their toenails, those with questionable hygiene. Then there’s the druggies, the drunks, and those intent on violence because … well because they can. They effect everyone, not just women. And let’s be honest here, they’re not always men either.
    This seems like an attempt to me for female only buses and carriages, which will leave even less available for everyone else in an already cramped system. Are women willing to pay more for these or should the rest of us subsidise them? I remember my days of waiting for buses on a wet Winter’s day only to see two or three packed buses go past before one with available seats becomes available, I don’t fancy seeing another couple of women’s only buses added to that list.
    I do feel that everyone should be entitled to feel safe on public transport, male or female, and this is what needs to be addressed. Perhaps what we need is at least one or maybe two transport police on each bus or train to ensure everyone is safe, regardless of gender.

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Aug 7th 2021, 3:30 PM

    @feargal ‘2 metres’ de cantuin: I completely agree with you. I remember conductors and I think it made a huge difference to morale simply because there were two staff members present – there for each other as well as to halt trouble. One driver on their own is limited to stopping the bus – two people can be more versatile.

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    Mute John Mulligan
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    Aug 7th 2021, 9:07 AM

    Some countries manage to provide safe public transport. Singapore does it better than most, and it’s clean too.

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Aug 7th 2021, 3:34 PM

    @John Mulligan: Amsterdam is excellent too.

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    Mute Mary Paget
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    Aug 7th 2021, 8:20 PM

    @Fiona Fitzgerald: too stoned to care

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    Mute Dan Skelton
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    Aug 7th 2021, 10:42 AM

    Should Ireland not have its own dedicated transport police sector like the BTP (British Transport Police) in the UK? I know the Luas guards are out and about, but what about other services such as Dart and InterCity rail services?

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    Mute Robert Breen
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    Aug 7th 2021, 10:54 AM

    @Dan Skelton: they have dark uniformed bouncers on the Dart

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    Mute Tom Ripley
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    Aug 7th 2021, 9:22 AM

    Just don’t use the red line.. sorted.

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    Mute Robert Breen
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    Aug 7th 2021, 11:18 AM

    @Tom Ripley: there are bad people everywhere even in the posh areas

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    Mute Mary Paget
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    Aug 7th 2021, 8:21 PM

    @Robert Breen: pat Kenny the bo.. Ix

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    Mute Dawid Grzybowski
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    Aug 7th 2021, 10:58 AM

    Garda needs a transport department, with a designated phone number and text line. Bus and luas drivers need a button to call the guards to the next stop. Very simple, just copy London.

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    Mute Mary Paget
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    Aug 7th 2021, 8:22 PM

    @Dawid Grzybowski: what invade Afghanistan

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    Mute Marie Broomfield
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    Aug 7th 2021, 7:15 AM

    no comment.

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    Mute David Dineen
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    Aug 7th 2021, 9:06 AM

    Really? One bus stop in Munster for wheelchair users means no disabled on buses, two wheelchair users on suburban buses and one has to get off(health and safety). Just go away..

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Aug 7th 2021, 3:38 PM

    Fair point – the disabled put up with a lot of unnecessary hassle just getting from A to B along with their other struggles. I hate paying for the full journey myself, getting on soaked and then having to get off because there’s aggro breaking out.

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    Mute David Dineen
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    Aug 8th 2021, 8:02 AM

    @Fiona Fitzgerald: aren’t you lucky to get on and off

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    Mute john doe
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    Aug 7th 2021, 10:58 AM

    Segregated carriages.
    Men only,
    no women allowed…. Whoops, that would be discriminatory. I mean, women only, no men allowed, that’s fine.

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    Mute Robert Breen
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    Aug 7th 2021, 11:14 AM

    @john doe: what about a couple out for the evening.
    Wud the man and his wife have to travel home separately?

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    Mute john doe
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    Aug 7th 2021, 1:03 PM

    @Robert Breen: not if he puts a wig and dress on

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    Mute
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    Aug 7th 2021, 10:25 AM

    “makeshift weapons”

    I always ensure I have my home made pepper spray and a stun gun inside my jacket every time I travel on the Luas…just in case like.

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    Mute john doe
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    Aug 7th 2021, 10:56 AM

    @:
    and if anyone so much as looks at you sideways… bam!

    s/

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    Mute Robert Breen
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    Aug 7th 2021, 11:05 AM

    You can be over powered and the weapons used on you!
    That is what happened to our neighbour.
    The attacker took her stilletto of her and poked it in her eye!

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    Mute Mary Paget
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    Aug 7th 2021, 8:25 PM

    Be the holy jasus your loaded for bear girl sure you’ll do well up in the dochas if you ever use them

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    Mute Mary Paget
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    Aug 7th 2021, 8:28 PM

    @Robert Breen: and that’s why I’m not in work today

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    Mute Thomas Smyth
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    Aug 7th 2021, 8:55 AM

    Testing. Have they closed comments…

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    Mute Thomas Smyth
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    Aug 7th 2021, 8:56 AM

    Apparently not. I’ll have to figure out what’s wrong with the comment I want to post…

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Aug 7th 2021, 3:31 PM

    @Thomas Smyth: Always fun trying to beat the filter. Try underscores instead of vowels.

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    Mute Diarmuid O'Braonáin
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    Aug 7th 2021, 11:59 AM

    The root of the problem is the society we live in. Statistics show when you have a society with massive inequality and poverty then crime goes up.

    We have politicians and bankers that have bankrupted the country with no jail time or penalty. White collar crime is rampant. Tge war on drugs has created more poverty. Our lack of housing and will to help poor people with well paying jobs has further exhausted the problem. If we solve this we solve the issue of safer public transport for women.

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    Mute john doe
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    Aug 7th 2021, 1:04 PM

    @Diarmuid O’Braonáin: simple solution then

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    Mute Diarmuid O'Braonáin
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    Aug 7th 2021, 1:41 PM

    @john doe: should we not be striving for a more equal society. Our prisons are full of poor people. Most people who commit crimes are poor people. When it come to enforcement of laws its against poor people the wealthy can and do get away with all sorts. Ie as a banker you can bankrupt a country with no penalty. Continue to live your life in relative luxury.

    We should be listening to people like Fr Peter McVerry and lift people out of poverty.

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    Mute Pauline Gallagher
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    Aug 8th 2021, 12:49 AM

    @Diarmuid O’Braonáin: You cant justify crime of any kind by saying; oh well look what rich people get away with. Its one thing stealing a loaf of bread to feed your starving family, but what times are we living in here, the 19th century?

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    Mute Pauline Gallagher
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    Aug 8th 2021, 12:53 AM

    @Diarmuid O’Braonáin: But yes, i get what youre saying about rich people getting away with it. But what i say is, equal punishment for all. Stealing is stealing. Fraud is fraud. It doesnt matter if youre a wealthy banker, industrialist, property investor or a heroin addict trying to support their habit. They still need to face the consequences.

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    Mute Mark Howard
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    Aug 8th 2021, 2:34 PM

    Safe for women and to hell with men getting hassle on public transport is that it? Sounds like something from a Wimmin’s Group circa 1984. We need to make transport safe for everyone, I thought that would have been obvious.

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Aug 7th 2021, 3:19 PM

    As an aside, I think the article overlooks the fact that people who switch to running cars are generally hauling a weekly or fortnightly shop, as well as young children, and if you can afford it, it’s bound to be more manageable to round them all up into one vehicle. People are starting to hire cars also.

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