Women all over the country make the decision to drive short distances rather than to walk, or they have no choice and walk on dangerous streets because infrastructure favors cars. Asbury Park is working on street design that can make it safe and convenient for women to walk, especially with children.
“Poor street design, disparate land use, time constraints, lack of personal safety—all of these conspire to force women off their feet and into cars. We have built a transportation system that discounts women’s travel needs, and women—and our communities—are suffering for it.
To understand what we should be doing better, it’s important to understand how women’s travel is different from men’s travel. Women make more trips than men, but travel shorter distances. They travel more with children, and their trips are more likely to be household-serving (e.g., shopping, daycare, errands), rather than for work or leisure. Women are also more likely to trip-chain (stop at multiple locations along the way during one trip). In particular for women with young children who haven’t started school, gender drives travel patterns.”
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http://www.wherethesidewalkstarts.com/2018/01/sexism-on-sidewalk-how-poor-street.html