Crowd-sourced map in NSW to identify ‘creepy’ and ‘safe’ spots to improve women’s safety

A new map will identify dark streets and risky intersections, as well as well-lit walkways, in a bid to address an issue that extortionately impacts women.

A new map will identify “creepy” streets and risky intersections, as well as well-lit walkways, in a bid to combat an issue that extortionately impacts women and gender-diverse people.

This year’s NSW Safer Cities Survey found that 59 per cent of women surveyed feel unsafe most or all of the time in public places after dark, compared to 32 per cent of men.

If women felt safer, 76 per cent of survey respondents said they would walk more, and 69 per cent said they would catch public transport more often.

As part of the state government’s response, from today women and gender-diverse people in NSW can contribute to the digital crowd-mapping project, called YourGround NSW, by anonymously identifying places where they have felt safe or unsafe around the state.

The map is focused on public spaces such as streets, parks, walkways, and the areas surrounding train stations and bus stops. Participants are asked to pinpoint these locations on a map of the state, and fill out a short survey.

“Everyone has a right to feel safe and welcome on our streets, parks, paths and beaches, yet almost two in three women say they do not feel safe at night in NSW,” NSW Women’s Safety Commissioner, Dr Hannah Tonkin, said.

“Feeling unsafe can limit people’s ability to access education, employment and services, and to engage fully in their communities.

“By hearing directly from women and gender-diverse people as they move around their cities, towns and regions, YourGround NSW will amplify their voices, help us understand their experiences, and provide important data and evidence for NSW policymakers into the future.”

From today, women and gender-diverse people in NSW can contribute to the digital crowd-mapping project, called YourGround NSW. Picture: Supplied

Early submissions have already identified spots like Newtown’s Enmore Road, in Sydney’s inner west, as one where the participant “always feels comfortable”. The overpass at Wollongong Station, meanwhile, was marked as an “unsafe spot” and “generally uninviting space that feels tired and dated giving it a creepy vibe”.

YourGround, which is the brainchild of founding director at the Monash University XYX Lab, Dr Nicole Kalms, was first launched in Victoria in 2021, gaining 6000 submissions.

Dr Kalms, whose background is in architecture and urban design, said it’s important that “designers, architects, urban planners, policymakers, [and] equity experts …[don’t] make assumptions about what women and gender-diverse people experience”.

“As a grassroots, crowdsourcing tool YourGround uncovers experiences that restrict access and inclusion in public space … We’re looking forward to finding out about the everyday experiences of women and gender-diverse people all across NSW that can provide important insights to those making key decisions in the future,” she said.

‘Women and gender diverse people tend to feel less safe in public and that perception can often impact their movements and opportunities to participate in the community.’

NSW Minister for Women, Jodie Harrison, said she “look(s) forward to seeing the results of the program which will help make our spaces more accessible and inclusive”.

“Women and gender diverse people tend to feel less safe in public and that perception can often impact their movements and opportunities to participate in the community,” Ms Harrison said.

“That feeling of not being safe may cause them to change their behaviour, such as avoiding using public transport or certain spaces altogether.”

The responses collected over the next three months will be then be used to inform policy and planning.

The NSW Safer Cities findings echo those of news.com.au’s own; earlier this year, our Great Aussie Debate survey of more than 50,000 people found that 40 per cent of female respondents had never felt safe walking alone at night, versus just nine per cent of men.

That was in comparison to the 38 per cent of men (versus a mere seven per cent of women) who said it’s not something they had ever worried about.

The YourGround NSW map is open for submissions by women and gender-diverse people from November 15 to February 8. You can find it here.