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Active Travel England to Issue Guidance to Make Streets Safer for Women and Girls

The plan gives councils practical fixes with funding to reduce fear after dark.

Overview

  • Active Travel England set out the programme after Wednesday's YouGov polling showed nearly nine in ten women feel unsafe walking at night and most change routes in darker months.
  • Guidance due in 2026 will cover brighter lighting, clearer sightlines, CCTV‑monitored routes and removing underpasses to keep people in view of others.
  • It will also highlight stop‑anywhere night‑bus drop‑offs used in Vigo, Spain, which let drivers drop women closer to home to shorten late‑night walks.
  • Councils can use their share of ATE’s £626 million to fund upgrades, from better‑lit paths to training for transport staff and night‑time workers.
  • Local pilots cited include new CCTV in Worksop, a signed well‑lit route to Milton Keynes rail station, Liverpool city‑centre Halo Points linked to emergency services and underpass removals in Leicester and Manchester.