Safety After Dark Innovation Challenge

Researcher(s): Dr Meead Saberi, Linh Truong

The UNSW School of Civil and Environmental Engineering has partnered with Cardno to deliver a game changer project for Transport for NSW to empower women to make informed choices about their travel. The project outcomes are also expected to inform Transport for NSW on targeted ways that could improve safety after dark for women.

Transport for NSW is trialling innovative data and technology ideas to improve safety for women travelling at night in Greater Sydney as part of the Safety After Dark Innovation Challenge. The innovative idea presented and currently being developed by UNSW-Cardno team examines the key factors in safety after dark for women as being passive surveillance and the comfort it can bring. The team is quantifying passive surveillance in a web and/or mobile application that can be used by women to make informed choices on their travel. A passive surveillance index for each street would be determined through a multi-criteria assessment of the closing times of street level establishments (restaurants, shops, services, etc.) and other contributing factors.

Passive surveillance is essential in a transit environment after dark, because it reduces opportunities for crimes against women to occur, and at the same time improves personal safety perception. Providing knowledge of areas with higher passive surveillance invites women to more freely participate in the community at night. The project aims to produce for Transport for NSW an action plan that can be used to implement design, technology and behavioural changes to improve safety.