'I call my mum and keep a can of deodorant handy'

The long, deserted bicycle paths surrounded by bushes and the poorly lit bicycle parking facilities are making many women uncomfortable at Utrecht Science Park, especially after sunset. This feeling increased after Lisa, a 17-year-old girl, was murdered while cycling home after a night out in Amsterdam, and another woman was the victim of sexual violence in the same area. 

After all, Utrecht has its share of unpleasant stories. Last month, a man was arrested in Zeist on suspicion of rape. Last year, a girl was pulled off her bicycle at Utrecht Science Park. The campus is surrounded by remote cycle paths, such as the one on Daltonlaan and the paths towards Bunnik. The female students approached by DUB identify both areas as unsafe locations, but they have also reported unpleasant experiences in evening buses and tram stations.

"Places where there is no one else around feel particularly unsafe," a female student tells DUB at Science Park. Women also prefer to avoid the steps at Utrecht Central Station in the evening, as well as dark alleys in the city centre.

The students take certain precautions when they must pass by a place they perceive as unsafe. They take off their headphones, call a friend, or cycle a different route. If cycling through an unsafe street cannot be avoided, they keep a key, a water bottle or a can of deodorant at hand to defend themselves. Staying in touch with housemates while cycling home is another common strategy.

Solutions
Opinions are divided when it comes to solutions that could make the campus and its surrounding routes safer. Many students are positive about street lighting and trimming bushes, as this can enhance their perception of safety.

Does that actually make those places safer, though? "If you're in the middle of nowhere, it doesn't matter if there are lights or not," says a student. The political party VVD proposes increasing enforcement and installing cameras. Students are sceptical about the latter: "Cameras work retrospectively, to find a perpetrator, they are probably less effective as a preventive measure," another student ponders.

VVD has launched a reporting centre for unsafe places, aiming to identify locations that feel unsafe through safety inspections. "It's great that people are paying more attention to this issue," says one student. "But it's not just about immediate changes. It's about a change in mentality, which will take longer."

The women approached by DUB conclude that the Science Park and its surroundings must feel safer and that changes along the cycle paths will help in this regard. In addition to the proposed measures, the students believe that structural change starts with greater awareness at the university, the municipality and the rest of the Netherlands.

The cycle paths from Utrecht Science Park to De Sterren and from the city centre to De Sterren run through an area that is deserted after office hours. Photo: DUB