Olivia Oakley - Is one Too Many?

Debate about safety on public transport has arisen over the last five years as assault cases at public transport places has risen, especially assault of women. Writing on this issue, Olivia Oakley, editor of a national independent magazine, posted an opinion piece on her blog, 'Is one too many?'. She contends that women need a safe and comfortable place on public transport, suggesting that women-only carriages are the solution to eliminating the constant fear women experience while travelling alone. Dan from Croydon responded to this article with an opposing point of view, believing women-only carriages would only add to fear and insecurity.

Oakley attempts to connect with her audience, by asking her readers to bring to mind their typical trip on public transport. She first addresses men, urging them to consider the body language of women as they enter a bus or train. As she herself is a women who assesses any men on a carriage, Oakley sympathies with the uncomfortable feeling her female readers also experience on public transport. She further connects with her audience with the use of inclusive 'we' and particularly highlights the shared experience of women taking public transport. Moreover she connects with the shared emotional desire of her audience, reminding them that as women, 'We all want to feel safe'. Oakley also appeals to the want for women's independence, creating a 'us and them' dichotomy by separating the male priorities from female preferences. She puts forth the idea that men are not sensitive to the fear women experience, isolating them for the situation. This empowers her female readers to feel they have certain rights when it comes to public transport and opens their minds to Oakley's proposal to address the issue of fear on public transport.

An issue as large as public transports requires factual and social evidence to support a change. Through the application of reason and logic, Oakley presents the audience with success stories of women-only carriages in other countries. She describes their implementation as creating a successful 'safe-haven' for women and children, reducing fear and insecurity. This reassures the reader that such change would bring about a productive difference to the function of Australian public transport, provoking a sense of achievement in the reader. Oakley additionally draws on support from authoritative sources outlining NSW Public Transport Union's and NSW Rape Crisis Centre's request for women-only carriages in 2013. This highlights to the reader that important large organisation are supportive for her contention and believe that it is an effective solution to the issue of assault. The inclusion of statistics further strengthens Oakley's argument, along with the juxtaposition of car thief and assault. This alarms the reader into understanding that they are more likely to get assaulted on public transport than have something stolen from their car.

The author builds upon this factual evidence by asking her readers to assess the current situation. Throughout the article Oakley engages her readers by getting them to question their own opinion on the issue.