What makes a railway station safe and for whom? The impact of transit environments on passengers’ victimisation and safety perceptions

Abstract

This study assesses patterns of victimisation and safety perceptions among passengers using railway stations across neighbouring municipalities in Sweden. Exploratory data analysis and logistic regression models underlie the methodology of the study, which shows that the geography of passengers’ victimisation differs from the geographical patterns found for the perception of safety. Findings show that passengers’ safety perceptions are more affected by the physical and social characteristics of transit environments than passengers’ victimisation. Yet, for those who have reduced mobility, the station affects the likelihood of their being victimised. Lack of staff and poor maintenance of the station are two significant attributes associated with the lower levels of safety perceived by passengers as well as levels of crime and panhandling at both the station and on the way to it. Compared with all passengers, women, but in particular those who identify as LGBTQI+ /Non-binary/Other, run a higher likelihood of feeling less safe. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.