Two senior councillors are calling on Bath & North East Somerset Council to do more to help women feel safer whilst out at night.
Cllr Sarah Bevan and Cllr Karen Walker at the Odd Down Park & Ride
Cllr Sarah Bevan and Cllr Karen Walker, the two independent councillors in Peasedown St John, have said more needs to be done to ensure women aren’t “at risk” from abuse whilst out on local streets.
The pair have highlighted the Odd Down Park & Ride site as one location where lighting can be improved and extended into the early hours.
Cllr Bevan said: “All women, and indeed everyone, has the right to feel safe and secure when they are walking the streets at night.
“As part of a cross-party group of women councillors looking at the issue of night-time safety, Cllr Karen Walker and I have called for the lighting at Odd Down Park & Ride to be extended.
“The current lighting cut off time of 9.30 pm just isn’t acceptable when people are able to collect their vehicles much later.”
At present, lighting at the Park & Ride site is on from 6.15 am until 9.30 pm, with no lighting at all on Sundays.
Drivers are able, however, to access the site to collect their vehicles at any time.
Cllr Karen Walker added: “If a woman is collecting her car at midnight after working late, she’ll be doing so in the dark!
“The safety of women on our streets is paramount, which is why we want the council to take action on this issue.”
The Peasedown councillors are calling for one of two options:
- The current lighting arrangements to be extended until 1am, with park & ride lights also switched-on during Sundays, or
- New environmentally friendly lighting to be kept on 24/7.
Sarah and Karen were both awarded Suffragette Spirit Awards in 2018 by Amnesty International for their work on championing and speaking out for the rights of women who are marginalised and discriminated against.
Bath & North East Somerset Council, in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard on 3rd March, said it has been looking at ways to ensure women are safe on local streets.
