Factor affecting women safety and their mobility pattern in last mile, around metro station

Abstract

Women often feel unsafe and anxious during their first and last mile of commute. In most cities of India, women do not have access to private vehicles, even if their families own one. Not only in India but globally women use public transport in larger numbers than men. Therefore, it is imperative for the last-mile connectivity as well as public transportation to be safe for them to commute. In this research, the focus would be primarily on last-mile connectivity. The travel patterns of women are immensely different from men because of the social roles assigned to them. Women spend a higher proportion of their time in caring-related activities. Due to this, they are more prone to trip-chain. Women typically make numerous trips every day by public transport as well as on foot, to transport children, and elderly family members, and to conduct household chores. As a result, their travel needs are much more complicated and diverse. During this complex commute, their safety becomes a major concern as women's safety affects their access to professional and social opportunities. In this study, the aim is to identify and study the factors that affect women’s safety in the stretches around metro stations of Delhi; to map the presence of such factors around metro stations, and to assess the impact of those factors on their safety as well as their travel choices/ mobility pattern. The study utilizes Multinomial logistic regression as a quantitative/ statistical tool for modelling, in order to assess how safety increases or decreases when the identified factors are altered as well as geospatial tools for the analysis. Finally, a few interventions or recommendations are proposed for reducing the vulnerability around metro stations. The most influencing factors were identified to be lighting, visibility (eyes on the street), availability of para-transit, surveillance, footpath availability, crowd density, and use of alcohol/drugs in the vicinity. Based on the analysis of this research, the recommendations were categorised into six major components i.e., land-use and street activity, accessibility, infrastructure, feeder services, public policy, and enforcement & grievance system. Further, study area-specific interventions have also been proposed which detail out typical street sections that can be replicated in the city to improve safety conditions.