December 06, 2019

Citymapper Launches 'Main Road' Function So You Can Feel Safer Walking Home At Night

Citymapper has launched a “main road” function for people wishing to stick to busier routes while walking home, the app has confirmed to HuffPost UK – and it couldn’t have come at a better time with Christmas party season upon us.
Citymapper Launches Main Road Function So You Can Feel Safer Walking Home At Night

The update, which launched this week on iOS and a week earlier on Android, allows users to pick a route they feel more comfortable with: fast or main road.

The move has been praised by people on Twitter for helping “anyone vulnerable who might feel unsafe walking down quiet roads or alleys at night”. Related... Dogs, Whistles And Personal Alarms: The Measures Women Take To Feel Safe While Running Citymapper’s update comes after women on Twitter called for the introduction of a “safe mode” on the app, to avoid deserted and dark areas at nighttime.
Twitter user Lil Patuck shared her story of missing the last Tube back in April, and being directed to walk through quiet areas of London, which was then reported by multiple news outlets.
“Luckily I hadn’t been drinking and had enough sense to disregard your direction, but what about everyone else?” Patuck said at the time. Hi @Citymapper 👋🏼I really love your app but you need a safe mode for late night travel.The route you gave me on Saturday was pretty ropey - luckily I hadn’t been drinking.Please don’t send women down unsafe alleyways late at night.@safeandthecity may be able to help here. pic.twitter.com/jIhKPtuFqL— Lil Patuck (@LilPatuck) April 15, 2019In an ideal world, the onus wouldn’t be on women or vulnerable people to ensure they feel safe walking home at night – and there would be no need to change our behaviour or take the long route home. But until we have some serious societal change, anything that makes it easier is welcome.
The new function is now live across all cities featured by the app. This includes Birmingham, London and Manchester within the UK, plus cities across Europe and the US.
To access the function, you’ll need to download or update the latest version of Citymapper. From there, simply enter your start and end destination, click walking, and select either “fast” or “main road”. READ MORE: Get Christmas Party Ready With These Dresses This Woman Had A Message For The Man Who Tried To Grope Two Schoolgirls Women Are Being Urged To Report Unwanted Sexual Behaviour On Public Transport

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World rings in 2023

Country by country, the world welcomed 2023 early Sunday morning — and bid goodbye to a year marked by war, economic uncertainties, and COVID variants. Many cities were celebrating New Year's in full force for the first time since the pandemic, with more than 100,000 gathering on the Embankment of the Thames in London for a firework show that paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II, while an estimated million people braved the rain for the New Year's Eve party in New York's Times Square. Roni Bintang/Getty Images Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Alexi Rosenfeld/ Getty Images Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images "I just wish everyone a lot of prosperity, peace, and love," Tina Wright, a reveler visiting New York City from the Phoenix area, told the Los Angeles Times.