She mapped danger spots for women. The city said ‘use busier routes’ so she uno-reversed them

Finding safe spaces to commute is always a challenge for women, especially during the early hours. Many women who go for morning runs or work early shifts often struggle to navigate streets that become threatening hotspots, largely due to creepy men and poor public infrastructure. When a female runner (u/MidnightQuill1) flagged these danger zones to the council, she was told to "stick to busier roads" for safety. Refusing to back down, she reached out to the media, which sparked immediate change. She shared her story on November 7 on Reddit’s r/TwoXChromosomes, where it gained over 33,000 upvotes.

u/MidnightQuill1 has always gone for early morning runs but often kept notes of the roads she took. She began taking notes after being followed by truck drivers three times and noticing that some of the streetlights were not working. "After six weeks, I put it in a simple map, red pins where stuff happened, yellow where it felt sketchy. The pattern smacked me in the face. Same two corridors, same 5 to 6 am window, mostly near a cluster of bars closing and a stretch of broken lights," she wrote. After taking note of the things that needed urgent attention, she sent them to 311, but it was all in vain.

Later, she attended a public safety meeting to point out the broken bulbs and the sidewalk that was difficult to walk straight on because of the slope. However, the response she got from a council member did not sit well with her. The council member wrote that women should "stick to the busier routes." The author, upset by this response, said, "That sentence sat in my teeth all week. I don't want a smaller life. I want working lights and sidewalks that don't funnel me into someone’s passenger door." In her later post, she explained how she finally got her complaint addressed and shared ways other women across the country can highlight similar issues.

She shared that shortly after the council's response, she filed two light tickets with pole numbers and emailed the public works director a one-page summary, along with photos and a map link. She also received signatures from two cafe owners who opened their shops around the same time (5 a.m.) in the morning. Later, she contacted a local reporter who wrote about infrastructure, and surprisingly, the author received a call back immediately. "Within three weeks, the city replaced six heads, fixed two drainage grates, and promised a curb cut on the wobbly corner," she shared. The author also added that the route plan page included light status updates, and a couple of men joined them for their 5 a.m. run during the first month, while things were being completely resolved. "Not a knight in shining anything, just neighbors being decent," she added. "I will keep running, and I will keep the map updated," she concluded.

The author's reasoning to reduce potential crimes against women through street lighting and proper infrastructure has been supported in a 2021 study by Aaron Chalfin et al. The study found that the more lighting there was, the fewer nighttime outdoor index crimes occurred. The study also observed a significant decline in arrests, indicating that deterrence is the most likely mechanism through which the intervention reduced crime. Soon after the post went viral, many online users lauded the author for her initiative. u/EarlierLemon wrote, "Admirable persistence. Seriously, great job for being so thorough and for sticking this through." u/MMorrighan shared, "'I don't want a smaller life, I want working lights' is such a goddamn mood. Good for you!" u/Flimsy_Phrase commented, "Can you run for your city council? You'd get more shit done and be great for your community.

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