A petition calling for Transport for London (TfL) to introduce women-only carriages on the London Underground has gained over 13,000 signatures.
A UCL student, Camille, 21, who grew up in London, started the Change.org petition on 30 September.
The campaign page states: “Public harassment of women on the London Underground is a growing issue, and TFL’s approach is failing — we always see it, we do say it, but it’s still not sorted. That’s why I’m calling for Sadiq Khan to introduce women-only carriages.”
The petition demands the immediate introduction of “at least one dedicated women-only carriage on every Tube line”.
At London Bridge station, women gave their views on the petition.
Ciara, 28, who works as a project manager, was in favour of the proposal.
She said: “Especially on the night tubes. I don’t get intimidated easily but a group of guys, especially if they’re a bit drunk and rowdy, can be quite intimidating.
“You generally feel safer surrounded by other women.”
Jessica, a 27-year-old tech consultant, said: “I think it would be more comfortable.
“I haven’t had any experiences but it’s definitely just the eyes and stuff. The behaviour makes you uncomfortable.”
But these women had concerns over whether the plan could realistically be implemented.
Ciara said: “I think it would be really hard to monitor.
“Is there going to be someone from TfL on each carriage or are there going to be police officers? I don’t know if that would make women feel any safer.”
Jessica said: “People have a hard enough time getting on during peak hour, so I think it would be hard to enforce.
“I think it would make women more uncomfortable if it wasn’t being enforced and then men were invading the space that was for women.”
But not every woman was in favour of introducing single-sex carriages.
Anca, a 44-year-old doctor, asked: “Is it necessary?
“I feel safe as it is now.”
Another woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “It doesn’t make sense.
“I’m a Muslim. Muslim women may love such an idea. This is a mixed country and we’ve got different religions here. When in Rome, you be as Romans.”
Read our interview with Camille about her petition here.
Feature image: Dan Roizer on Unsplash.
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