A residents' association in Mansfield has countered the problem of 'large groups of young people hanging around in the underpasses drinking' by having pink 'acne' lighting installed. CYP Now reports:
Tony Gelsthorpe, chair of the association, said the intention of the project was never to show up spots, rather utilise the fact pink is seen as 'uncool' by some young men.
A member of the residents' association said:
'The groups aren't there as much and it feels safer walking through there now, particularly at night.'
In a non-escapable place a gathering of strangers can be intimidating. But young people tend not to like being surveilled all the time, which I happen to think is a healthier attitude than wanting to control people.
Strikes me that the underpasses are a key part of the problem. Sorting out the roads in favour of pedestrians rather than cars would be a start - expensive, but what are the costs of the design mistakes of the past?
Then we should find some creative uses for the tunnels, rather like we've been seeing creative uses of closed shops.
