To walk home alone at 3am?

[cantdorightornot]

Basically I live 10 min walk from the city centre or about 2-3 min drive.
Last night I went out with friends and I walked home at around 3am.
My boyfriend goes crazy with me but what is the point in wasting £6 on a taxi plus the taxis always huff and puff when I get in knowing how short the journey is.
What do you think?

One of the incidents I had was a bunch of learing drunk lads on a deserted London street (a main road, usually bustling in the day) telling me to get in their car - then getting angry when I didn't.

Their intent was not OK, they were menacing. They reversed their car to chase me. I managed to give them the slip by doubling back on myself, and legging it once round the corner and they couldn't see which way I'd gone. I ran down another road and hid behind a van. I saw them driving up and down looking for me for a while.

I was too full of adrenaline to be scared at the time but once that wore off OMG my heart was pounding and I could hardly walk.

It's hard to describe what was so scary, but their intent wasn't good.

It was the geography of the road that gave me the chance to escape them. No keeping my wits about me or whatever else people are telling themselves would have kept them safe would have helped if the road layout had been different.

There are some nasty, stupid and callous people out there. It's not worth the risk.

... and entitled, I should have said. Some men think they're entitled to do as they like with women.

I wouldn’t be walking home alone at that sort of time.

I used to when I was at university until I had a bad scare and a near miss. Now I wouldn’t take that risk.

And as for graveyards - the ones in the town I grew up in were notorious for drug use. Not a place I’d choose as a nighttime route home even if I was walking with friends. And that association makes me suspicious of most graveyards after dark.

I used to do this all the time in my 20s - from Coventry city centre to my flat was about a 10 minute walk and I finished work any time between midnight and 5am and regularly stayed out for drinks after. I always carried my phone with 999 already keyed in just in case, and kept my wits about me - I had a dodgy bloke on a bike following me once and making suggestive comments, but he fucked off as soon as he realised I wasn't joking when I said I'd hurt him if he came any closer.

I work night shifts now and regularly go out for walks on my lunch break between 2 - 4am, in a more rural location now but along main roads. I love the silence and stillness at that time!

I used to walk the back streets of hull at all hours in my days at uni there, most of the time after having a few too many because I couldn’t be arsed to sort a cab. Given what has just happened there I kick myself for being so bloody stupid. Don’t take the risk ever. It’s not worth it.

Why are taxis automatically assumed to be safer than walking alone?

Has everyone just forgotten about John Worboys?

I was raped by a family friend in a relatives house whilst my family were downstairs. I could even hear them laughing as he raped me.

Life is full of risks and bad things can happen anywhere.

A life that is risk free is not worth living imo.

@QueenOfTheTofuTree
I’m so sorry

I came on here to say there are risks in everything in life. But that sort of took the wind out of my sails.

At the end of the day it’s luck. Everything in life is just luck. There is no great plan. You could be the safest person in the world and you’ll get hit by a car. You could be the most risk taking and be fine. It’s just luck where you end up.

Whilst it shouldn't be unreasonable unfortunately being female puts you at more risk walking alone at night. Of course this is wrong but I personally wouldn't do it

I also live close to the city centre and often walk home alone at that time of night. But I think you do need to be alert to the odds and sods that are out there and being drunk means you're not.
It's not the walking or the time that's the problem - it's the drink. One or two I'd probably walk, any more I wouldn't.

Carry a can of pepper spray just in case.

When I lived in SE London I used to walk back from the station regularly at night, no taxi and buses stopped after a certain time. Do people always get taxis home from a station if it's within walking distance? Now I'm in the suburbs there's a taxi rank at the station but it's a ten minute walk home and usually I just do it although it is all uphill!! Chinese on the way too!

I got followed home drunk once. I managed to run from him but he was a very scary man. In theory you should be able to walk where you want, but in reality it’s not a good idea when you’ve been drinking whether you are a man or woman.

Unless you're really drunk rather than just tipsy or it's a route that's notorious for attacks, YANBU.

Would your boyfriend walk home on that route alone after a night out?

Being a woman doesn't put you at more risk walking alone at night. Men are more likely to be attacked on the streets than women are. More likely to be seriously injured. More likely to be killed. So if he thinks this restriction (and additional cost) should apply to you and not him he's being illogical as well inappropriate.

Carry a can of pepper spray just in case.

That's classed as an offensive weapon in the UK.

Walking home drunk is stupid regardless - what if you stagger out into the road in front of a car?

I used to live near Brompton Cemetery. Being interested in cemeteries, I took a leisurely stroll through one afternoon, only to find myself surrounded by young men. I didn't realise it was a popular gay pick up spot. I don't know who was more perturbed, them or me?

It would be lovely to say 'absolutely, you should be free to walk when and where you want'

However, reality is that is not always the case

Is your life or your sexual safety worth more than £6? Yes!
There's your answer then