New mobile app to show 'safest way home'

"A phone app has been launched showing people the “safest” walking route, based on factors including street lights, CCTV and crime statistics. The Safest Way app is available in York, London and Northern Ireland, with developers hoping to expand it further across the UK. It is free to use, with no registration required, and is part-funded by Ordnance Survey."

"“We used one of the normal navigation apps, looked up the journey from the car park to the venue and some streets had no lighting at all,” she explained. “I said to my friend, lighting infrastructure is publicly available data, so why can't an app tell us the route isn't well lit?” “My friend joked 'why don't you build one then'.”"

"Christina Moore, from York, said when she first downloaded the app she noticed it recommended different routes to those she would usually take. “York is a really nice place, but sometimes the fear of how I'm going to get home can prevent me from going out,” the 26-year-old said. “I've had unpleasant experiences with people who are quite drunk in town, trying to take photos of me, shouting at me, someone's grabbed hold of me.”"

"Sherrie Wood, from the Kyra Women's Project in York, said: “We have to think about what's well lit, is it safe to go past lots of drunk people, is it safe to nip through alleys, you know, we're conscious all the time about people behind us.” “There are little dark alleys, there are areas that aren't very well lit, there are times of night when it's really quiet and places where our members have said they feel quite scared getting home, so this app is a really good idea.”"

A phone app called Safest Way provides walking routes labeled as safer based on factors such as street lighting, CCTV coverage, and crime statistics. The app is available in York, London, and Northern Ireland, with plans to expand across the UK. It is free to use and does not require registration, and it is part-funded by Ordnance Survey. The idea originated from a night out when publicly available lighting information seemed like it could be used to guide people away from poorly lit streets. Users report that the app can recommend routes different from their usual choices, helping address fears about getting home, including concerns about drunk people and dark alleys.

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