A cross-party group of Parliamentarians and transport industry leaders have today highlighted the critical safety concerns facing women on Britain's transport network.
Left to right: Jo Field, Alex Mayer MP, Cleo Lindo, Baroness Pidgeon MBE, Richard Braham, Elsie Blundell MP, Anne Shaw OBE, Emma Knight, Caroline Stickland, Natalie Richbell-Beer, Sezin Tumer, Natasha Grice, Ruth Cadbury MP, Susan Leadbetter
The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Women in Transport today (17th March) brought together parliamentarians and transport industry leaders to discuss women’s safety in the context of the government’s plans for rail reform.
The roundtable discussion explored several dimensions of safety, including the importance of focusing on end-to-end journeys, promoting active bystander intervention, ensuring assets are well maintained as well as well designed, and recognising the intersection between gender and other protected characteristics.
Chair Elsie Blundell, MP for Heywood and Middleton North, said:
“It was a pleasure to chair a roundtable session of key stakeholders across the rail sector and committed parliamentarians on the issue of improving safety across the network – as part of a series of sessions hosted by the Women in Transport All-Party Parliamentary Group.
For far too many passengers, concerns around safety and security persist, discouraging them from taking necessary journeys; this is especially true for women who continue to face harassment, abuse and violence on public transport. It is clear to all that the situation as it stands is unsustainable and needs addressing.
The Government’s plans to launch Great British Rail (GBR) are crucial in this regard and I was delighted to host today’s roundtable to produce a submission to the Department for Transport’s open consultation, specifically on the creation of the Passenger Standards Authority, the new watchdog set up alongside GBR to champion passenger safety and improve experiences for all who rely on our rail networks.
It is time to put passengers at the centre of all we do, and this will require joined up approach between government and industry. The All-Party Group is committed to ensuring that the consultation is a critical first step in addressing the systemic challenges around passenger safety and build a rail network fit for the decades to come.”
Jo Field, President of Women in Transport and Secretariat to the APPG for Women in Transport, said:
“I am pleased to see such strong collaboration between parliamentarians and industry leaders to address the critical safety concerns faced by women on our transport network.”
“Women’s safety, both as transport workers and customers using the network, is one of the top priorities for our Women in Transport members and from today’s discussion it’s clear there is significant work to be done.
“We look forward to submitting the points raised today to the public consultation on rail reform, and we hope the government incorporates our concerns in its efforts to put the railway back on the right track for all passengers.”
Natalie Richbell-Beer, Safeguarding and Crime Manager at Avanti West Coast, said:
“We want everyone to feel safe when travelling on our network and alongside the industry we’re committed to addressing concerns of women’s safety on the railway. Through the roundtable event we’ve identified opportunities to build on the vital practices already in place to recognise, respond and report instances where women are vulnerable, so we can make a meaningful difference to their experience.
“As a White Ribbon accredited organisation, we continue to foster a culture of respect and bring about positive change with the introduction of new initiatives, as well as supporting work to shape the future railway, so it is a safe and secure environment for all.”
Insights from today’s roundtable discussion will inform the parliamentary group's submission to the 'A Railway Fit for Britain's Future' consultation, which closes on April 15th.
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