Standing in the middle of the West End at midnight on a Saturday night,armed with a large video camera and a ‘minder’ I thought ‘why am I doingthis?

Good question! It had seemed like a good idea at the time – to dump theTransport Committee of the London Assembly in the centre of London late atnight and make our way home by public transport. This was to be the firstpart of our scrutiny ‘Nightime Travel – Safe Routes Home’ to demonstratesome of the difficulties of late night travel in our capital city. For me,personally, I wanted to show the barriers that exist for women. If we wantpeople to use public transport then it not only has to be safe, but also tofeel safe. And, of course, the walk home from your public transportdestination is as important a part of the journey as public transportitself.

Anyway, we met up in Covent Garden. There were five of us Assembly members,and between us we were taking different routes home across London. Three ofus took video cameras to record our journeys, one a small tape recorder andthe other was going to make notes.

I had had a brief training session on the camera a week before. We are nottalking neat little, cute little video cam. This was a big camera. I had tofilm myself for the talk to the camera pieces, and my arm was barely longenough to turn the camera around and hold it at arms length. At the practicesession, watching the piece, I seemed to have mastered the up ones ownnostril shot.

My journey home was simple. I wasn’t looking to create difficulties, just toshow the real ones that put women off travelling alone on public transportat night. All I had to do was get on the tube at Leicester Square and offagain at Highgate and walk home. In fact I had a ‘minder’ accompanying me -though I think that had more to do with protecting the camera than myself!However, I was grateful for Brian’s presence as drunken, but happy youths,performed and loomed at me at the sight of the camera. Tomorrow’s Popstarsthey were not.

The first step on my journey was the descent into hell at Leicester Squaretube. It is literally heaving with the late night crowds trying to maketheir way home. Onto the elevator and along the tunnel. The crowd slows onthe corner leading to the stairs down to the Northern Line platform. Thecrowds are so thick on the platform, the stairs can’t clear. I strugglealong and squeeze through the people, along the platform until there is alittle more freedom. Looking at the information board to see whether thenext train is Edgware or High Barnet. Of course, the board is not working.

I take a High Barnet and get off at Goodge Street, just to experience adifferent station at night. This platform, unlike Leicester Square, iscompletely deserted, just me and my minder and a pair of legs sticking outat the other end of the platform. Presumably, there was a person attached tothem, but all I could see were legs. An empty platform is intimidating in adifferent way.

Got on an Edgware train, off at Camden Town to take the Barnet Train andhome. Miscellaneous drunks youngsters and people eating made up much of mytravelling footage. I had been expecting, as almost always happens when Itravel for real on a weekend late night journey, piles of vomit. But sod’slaw defeated me on my scrutiny voyage and there had been no vomit in sight.

Arriving at Highgate, I stopped momentarily to put a new battery into thecamera, when my Oscar opportunity arrived. Three young guys came walkingalong the platform. Well, to be fair, the middle one was being draggedalong, as he had obviously had an extremely good night out and was blinddrunk. Just as he went past me, his trousers fell down. Then he fell down.My film director’s instincts took over, and I look forward to seeing thefootage.

As I walked up to Highgate Village from the tube, I think anyone womenwatching the video would identify with my journey: the darkness, theloneliness of being the only person on the street, the nervousness whensuddenly someone is coming towards you, the relief when they pass. And thenI was home. I did a quick ‘Blair Witch’ to the camera, holding a torch undermy chin, with Brian now filming and said good night.

The scrutiny will continue with two hearings: one with user groups and theother with the transport providers and possibly the police. My route homewas safe this time, but it isn’t welcoming. The challenge now is to find thesolutions.

(c) Lynne Featherstone, 2001