I REFER to your article ‘York Central not put at risk’ (The Press, May 12).

One of the biggest risks to local people if the road closure goes ahead is personal safety, particularly for women.

The recent, shocking case of Sarah Everard makes this even more evident.

As a local resident, I regularly walk to and from the centre of York or the station after dark, as do many of my female neighbours, which is when we have the most concerns about safety.

As well as being double the length, the proposed new route has several areas where I would feel especially unsafe. The current route, while not perfect, offers a direct route along a well-lit road.

There are no places for ‘predators’ to hide and CCTV cameras alongside the National Railway Museum (NRM). Light traffic uses the road, even at night – it is a time when passing traffic is a friend to lone female pedestrians.

I am very worried, as are my female neighbours, that if the closure of Leeman Road goes ahead, we will no longer be able to walk home safely after dark.

We call upon the NRM to be a better neighbour, to take our concerns seriously and think again.

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