YourGround Safety Survey
COVID-19 restrictions during 2020-21 encouraged residents to participate in outdoor recreation activities. However, perceptions of safety can be a barrier to ongoing participation, particularly for women and gender-diverse residents.
The YourGround survey asked the Victorian community to map their perceptions of safety when using open spaces. Data was collected during April-July 2021 and over 200 places were identified by women and gender-diverse people within the City of Maribyrnong. This included 30 safe places and 177 unsafe places.
Summary of submissions
| |
Submissions
received
|
Pins
dropped
|
Comments
submitted
|
Supports
|
City of Maribyrnong
|
512
|
207
|
94
|
211
|
Overall
|
5,532
|
3,181
|
683
|
1,668
|
Participants in the survey highlighted unsafe places across the City, with key areas of concern being:
- The Footscray Activity Centre
- From central Footscray towards Tottenham Station along the train line
- From central Footscray towards Footscray Park through the Angliss area.
The survey identified poor lighting, the behaviour of other people, obscured sight lines, lack of people and lack of maintenance as contributing to perceptions of public spaces as being unsafe.
Reasons for lack of safety
|
City of Maribyrnong
|
City LGAs
|
All
|
Poor lighting
|
60%
|
50% |
58%
|
Behaviour of people here makes me feel uncomfortable
|
37%
|
54%
|
46%
|
Hard to see what or who is ahead
|
32%
|
31%
|
36%
|
No people around
|
31%
|
35%
|
36%
|
It feels uncared for
|
26%
|
24%
|
26%
|
I feel trapped here
|
21%
|
24%
|
20%
|
Bad stories here
|
7%
|
11%
|
13%
|
Hard to navigate
|
5%
|
4%
|
3%
|
Over crowded
|
3%
|
4%
|
3%
|
The survey findings will be used to inform a range of Council activities, including the design and maintenance of open spaces.
The full report (for Victoria and the City of Maribyrnong) and a short summary document are provided below. YourGround was a collaboration between Victorian councils, Monash XYX Lab and CrowdSpot.