MSPs tell men to behave themselves on public transport

The review, commissioned by the SNP frontbencher last year, said “systemic changes” and “more practical interventions” were needed to “give women and girls a greater sense of freedom to explore public transport opportunities.” to maximize”.

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Ms Gilruth opened a debate on the report in Holyrood, saying the majority of women involved in the review said they needed to remain vigilant when travelling.

“Women and girls reported previous experiences of being victims of inappropriate comments of a sexual nature and unwanted attention from male passengers,” she said.

“The majority of contributors seem to accept that this was typical or not unexpected when traveling on public transport, especially late at night.”

Ms Gilruth added: “Women should be able to travel safely on our public transport networks and men should learn how to behave.”

The minister said women kept their keys in hand to use as weapons, wore flat shoes to be able to run away, asked a male friend or relative to meet them when they got home, or used public transport altogether shunned security concerns.

“The point of all this that I wanted to address is how exhausting it is to be a woman in Scotland in 2023 and just want to get home safely,” she said.

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Scottish Tory spokesman Graham Simpson agreed: “Men really need to think about their own behavior because we men are the problem here.

“It’s not the women, it’s the men that cause problems for women.”

He added: “They shouldn’t have to sit near other women or next to families on public transport because it may be considered safer. you should not have to call friends or family while driving someone can follow your journey, you should not have to ask male relatives or friends to meet you at bus or train stations to accompany you on the last part of the journey home, or wear flats or sneakers to run away or escape if necessary.”

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Labor Transport spokesman Neil Bibby said: “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – we all, including men, have a duty to do everything we can to address this issue, including questioning the behavior of others men, whether strangers or friends.

He added: “Neither do I think it’s possible for me to fully appreciate the experiences and feelings of women and girls when using our public transport, but all men have a duty to try to fully understand them and something.” to do about it.”

The Scottish Government’s request to urge transport companies, police and others to adopt the report’s recommendations was unanimously approved in Holyrood.

A Conservative amendment encouraging people to use the UK Transport Police app to report crimes on the railway was also passed unanimously.

But a Labor motion that called the reduction in ticket office hours a “step backwards” was defeated by a vote of 51 to 63.