Do women walk alone at night

[aDayattheLido]

Do you?
Do women you know?

DNiece is at university. She came to visit me the other weekend. Her train back to uni was going to arrive after dark. I gave her some money for a taxi from the station to her halls. She said "oh I'll just walk" (but still took the £20 🙂). She says she walks back from the library and her part time job.

Is this normal or do women walk in pairs/packs or get a taxi?

(btw This was discussed on another thread but before anyone cries "TAAT" I'm just interested in chatting about it further)

Yes it gets dark very early in winter loads of woman walk in the dark you can’t seriously think no woman goes out Alone after 4/5 in the winter?

How close was he?

Because I will be frank, unless they are couple of meters close when they might want to slow down, they shouldn't have to cross a road. It's not someone else's responsibility to manage someone's anxieties to a point of having to cross a road for them.

I do, but I might change my route - take the residential street not the alley for instance. I also won't take the dog to the park after dark - but this isn't without cause, a man was murdered by strangers in my local park not long ago.

If I had been drinking then I'd get a taxi - but I get an Uber because at least then there's a record of which taxi driver picked me up. John Worboys only got away with his crimes for as long as he did because his victims had no idea who had picked them up.

I don't, however, confine myself to the house during the hours of darkness due to fear of male violence.

Of course I do! I don't drive, so life would be pretty limited in the winter months if I refused to walk alone in the dark.

Always have.

I'd much rather walk than get a taxi tbh. I don't think its a safer option.

Same. I avoid the common at night but other than that have always walked alone at night. My young adult daughters and many of their friends do too.

I have no need to now as I have access to a car and I don’t drink alcohol but did used to walk about a lot when young I also got the night bus back alone, which had a decent walk after getting off last time would have been about 15 years ago as my clubbing days are over. I did do karate when I was young, I almost broke DH nose once when he asked me to show him some moves. Even though I have been trained to fight men are usually just so much bigger.

I remember being given a free rape alarm on campus when I was a student.

My dd would always ring me or her sister if she was lwalking late at night . Now she drives or her bf picks her up if she's alone.

After dark early evening yes. Very late at night possibly not.

A taxi isn't always safer. When I was at uni, a woman was raped in a black cab by the taxi driver on the next street to my uni house.

For that reason, if I ever got a taxi, I checked that their ID photo matched the driver, and would take a photo to send to my friend, and would then text the same friend when I got out the cab. If I was getting the taxi alone, I would tell him I was going to meet someone, or would ring someone.

I often went out with a group of 3 other girls, and was the second person to be dropped off. My friend who was dropped off third would text me when the cab was close to her house, and I would then ring my friend who was last to be dropped off. This was just so she wasn't completely 'on her own' in the back seat, and would stay on the phone with her until she was back inside her house.

But yes, I do walk alone at night. Certain streets I would avoid.

I have always walked where I need to at night often on my own. The women i know who have been raped have been drugged in bars / clubs ( happened to me), drugged by a colleague, raped by a taxi driver and raped by a family member. A taxi driver also pulled a crow bar on my sister once luckily she managed to get away.

I in my personal life have not come across a stranger rape. I'm not saying it doesn't happen what I'm saying is that there are many many circumstances which can lead to a woman being attacked but I don't live my life in fear.

As someone up thread said a taxi is not inherently the safer option.

No I would not walk alone at night. I'd not like my dd or ds to either. Taxi/Uber or ring a friend and pay them to collect you. Not safe so why take unnecessary risk?

Yes I do, but there are some places I will avoid, for example normally my route home from the bus stop I walk through a narrow woodland path, at night that becomes an unlit, not overlooked path, and that doesn’t feel safe so I go the longer way along the road.

Yep I've always walked alone at night. I've only felt genuinely worried a couple of times due to drunk men trying to chat to me!

I live in a one horse town in the west of Ireland. I got mugged in broad daylight on my way to work a few years back. I wouldn’t dream of walking in the dark alone around here but when I visit London or any other major city I’m happy to.

As others have pointed out, „after dark“ doesn’t always equal „at night“, especially in winter.
I personally do go out after dark, mostly for runs. I avoid particular areas where I feel less safe, but I wouldn’t want to completely avoid going out because something might happen.

I do, always have. Now 50.

I’ve always walked alone after dark. I work alone during the night going to some quite dodgy areas and I think that gives me more confidence. I used to happily walk the dog in the dark, the only reason I don’t now is because I’m scared of falling over! Still happily walk back from my DDs flat late at night through town.

Yes, I have never felt scared of walking at night. Scared in a couple of situations maybe but I've also had similar in the daytime. I think John Worboys showed that men will attack women, you can't stop your life because of 'what if'.

My mum was angry that I walked in the dark, not night, dark! I pointed out that I'd have to stop working in winter when it gets dark at 4 and my employers wouldn't like that.

I do, my adult daughter does - we both live in cities. I wouldn't feel safe in a taxi on my own.

Yes.

I've always done it. Maybe it's complacency but I just never lived in fear. I walk fast, and don't let myself get stuck around other people, and I'm very wary of who is nearby.

Yes I walk where I need to get to whatever the time.

Yes but I keep my wits about me, try to stay on the well lit side of the street, and keep a key stuck out from a closed fist etc. Obviously not a catch all plan but decent precautions.

A friend was sexually assaulted by a taxi driver and broke her arm by escaping out the window. I always take a photo of the taxi number plate and ID. They see me doing it which is always helpful.

Yes I do but I live in the middle Barcelona which is busy all through the night, there are police everywhere and it's generally a much safer place than UK cities.

I'm from Manchester ...I wouldn't want to walk around there alone after about 10pm.