By Sophie Hoss
Dear Metropolitan Transportation Authority:
I’ve ridden your trains all through my childhood, and I’ve commuted on them almost every day of high school and college. The train is the easiest and most convenient method of transportation available to me, but as a longtime patron, it has come to my attention that there is a need for stronger safety precautions for women taking the train.
Public transportation is a vulnerable place where women can easily be targeted for harassment and violence. A 2019 study from San Jose University indicated that 63% of women experienced sexual harassment in transit. Survey respondents also reported that their fear of harassment sometimes limited their use of public transit. Without a clear escape route and no guarantee of help, women are constantly having to calculate their odds of safety on public transportation—will they be alone? Will the ride be more dangerous at night? Will they be followed? These are questions that should not have to be asked, yet millions of commuting women ask them every day.
The other week, I was on the train home and I smiled at the man sitting across the aisle from me. He took this as an invitation to get up and come sit next to me, leaning in close and grilling me with questions about where I was from and what I had been doing that day. When I transferred a few stops later, I thought I’d be able to shake him off, but the man followed me into the next train and again took a seat right next to me, even though the car was practically empty. I could feel the discomfort crawling over my skin, making me jittery and tense. We luckily parted ways at the next transfer, but before I could slip out the train door, the man held out his arms in an offer of embrace. Terrified that he would keep following me if I didn’t accept, I gave him a quick hug and darted out onto the platform.
Women using the MTA should not have to feel trapped in uneasy or potentially unsafe situations. We have just as much of a right to a peaceful journey home as men do. The harassment of women on public transport is a complex problem, and it cannot be dismantled in one fell swoop. Still, we have to start somewhere. I propose the development of a downloadable mobile app that MTA patrons can use to subtly call for the conductor if a fellow passenger is making them uncomfortable. Very often, women feel that trying to extricate themselves from a situation will cause it to turn violent. Therefore, having a discrete way to access help could be a game-changer.
There are similar methods being used in bars and on college campuses. Bustle recently published an article about a new “secret drink order” called an angel shot that alerts the bartender that the patron is feeling unsafe and needs help. There are several variations of the angel shot—the “angel shot on the rocks” lets the bartender know to call a cab, an “angel shot neat” is a request for security, and an “angel shot with lime” signals that the situation is extreme and that the police need to be called. Having this code in place is an excellent way for people to get help without drawing unwanted attention to themselves or escalating the situation. In that same vein, most college campuses have a “blue light system” that sets up buttons across campus to be pressed in case of an emergency, guaranteeing the arrival of campus security within minutes.
Implementing proactive safety measures like this would be an excellent way for the MTA to protect their female passengers and demonstrate their solidarity. While it is not addressing the systemic patriarchal issues at the root of this problem, an app to safely and subtly access help would at least put a small bandage on it. Societal change comes from collective awareness and action; only by practical and proactive steps to resolve them can we begin moving in the right direction.
Sincerely,
A Concerned Commuter
RhetComp 