Walking to and from campus is a great way to stay active, and with our University surrounded by national park and bushland areas, many of us are lucky to enjoy a daily commute through beautiful natural environments.
But travelling through isolated areas can present potential risks, and place us in a vulnerable position if confronted by a person or persons displaying disturbing behaviour.
Here are a few tips from Security to help keep you safe when walking through isolated or bushland areas:
- Don’t walk after dark.
- Carry a torch in case you are delayed and have to walk through the bush during twilight.
- Avoid walking alone. Walk in pairs or larger groups if you can.
- Don’t use personal audio devices which may cause you to miss a warning or not be as alert to your surroundings.
- Let someone know the time you have left and the time you expect to be at your destination.
- Ensure your mobile is charged and that you have an emergency call number programmed.
- Consider carrying a distress / duress alarm or siren to use in an emergency.
- Avoid suspicious characters. Turn and walk the other way if you can. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
- Don’t engage a person you are not familiar with or who makes you feel uncomfortable.
- Report suspicious activity or behaviour immediately to local police.
View Macquarie University Security for further information on personal safety.
It would be helpful to know if this advice is based on recent assaults or violence on or near campus. I note you’ve picked an image of a woman walking to illustrate the story – women’s freedom of movement is already constrained by fears built up by stories like this. The advice to avoid walking alone or carry an alarm would seem over the top if it were a bloke in the picture. If there have been assaults, how about we hear more about them so we can better protect ourselves?
A little bit of lighting on Hadenfield and Link Roads (the roads connecting campus to Culloden, near Epping) would go a long way toward making those roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists after dark.