NSW Govt. Commits $15M Boost To Safer Public Spaces For Women
Image: After image of McCook Carpark new smart bus shelter with Murrumbidgee High School students -Source: Supplied / Credit to Griffith City Council.
Walking home at night, heading to a bus stop, or taking the kids to the park could soon be safer, with the Minns Government committing $15 million to upgrade public spaces for women across NSW.
The funding is part of Safer Cities: Her Way 2, a program which gives councils facility to improve lighting, restrooms, seating, signage, shade, and run community activations.
Research shows three in four women in NSW would walk more if their streets and spaces felt safer, and 92% of women added that safety affects the routes they choose.
Poor lighting and quiet streets remain major barriers, and this round of the Safer Cities: Her Way 2 program targets these issues with practical upgrades.
Twenty-six councils across the state will share the funding, with thirteen receiving up to $1 million for larger projects, and the remaining councils getting $150,000 for smaller upgrades.
The NSW program builds on a three-year $30 million initiative that delivered 21 projects across 10 councils with support from 12 government partners.
In Guildford, a laneway was redeveloped with new lighting, seating, children’s play areas, a mural, and community events.
In Griffith, upgrades including lighting, footbridges, a smart bus shelter, public art, landscaping, and a community garden improved connections between the CBD and nearby residential areas, with locals up to 11 times more likely to use the streets.
An impact report found almost 60 percent of women felt safer during the day and nearly 40 percent at night in spaces that were upgraded.
The first round also delivered 137 lighting projects, 200 events, 45 public art installations, 31 accessibility upgrades, and 45 new amenities such as seating, tables, shade, and play spaces. Around 24,000 people across NSW participated in workshops and co-design sessions to inform the projects.
Minister for Women Jodie Harrison said the upgrades aim to “make a big difference in how safe a place feels, and we want women and girls to feel confident taking part in work, sport, and local events.”
Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Marjorie O’Neill added that, “Women avoid public spaces because we feel twice as fearful as men. Better lighting and community upgrades help women walk confidently around their local streets and transport hubs.”
The program also includes $5 million in partnerships with Transport for NSW, Homes NSW, State Library, Placemaking NSW, Office of Sport, and the Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation.
Grant recipients for Safer Cities: Her Way 2 will be announced in May.
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