LRT Safety

[yeggator]

L

I was in Montreal in November and took their metro a couple of times.

Similar issues around their metro station entrances to here - and they have fare gates.

In fact, even though they have fare gates they've just hired a team of officers to start checking fares on trains because of a problem of people hopping the turnstiles. Actually, you don't need to 'hop' a faregate turnstile, you just need to follow closely behind someone scanning through.

They also hope the extra security personnel will help with safety.

STM cracks down on fare evasion, launches ticket inspectors to patrol métro

New uniformed officials have been spotted in Montreal’s métro since December to ensure users pay for their rides.

montrealgazette.com

That’s why I’ve never supported faregates. Clearly, they’re an expensive but ineffective solution, and the money is always better spent on more bodies on patrol.

 

[IanO]

 

[Yeggy]

There is a lot about this that makes me mad from a production/narrative standpoint.

 

[Barnaby]

Thank you CBC for taking taxpayer money for the expressed purpose of working against our own best interests. Very on brand!

 

[kcantor]

Thank you CBC for taking taxpayer money for the expressed purpose of working against our own best interests. Very on brand!

???

Do you really think our LRT would be safer for its riders - or potential riders - if we simply branded it safer? A brand isn't what you say or don't say. A brand is what you do or don't do.

This is an area that at all three levels of government - as accurately reported - we simply aren't doing enough. I'm not sure why reporting that somehow offends you.

 

[Yeggy]

???

Do you really think our LRT would be safer for its riders - or potential riders - if we simply branded it safer? A brand isn't what you say or don't say. A brand is what you do or don't do.

This is an area that at all three levels of government - as accurately reported - we simply aren't doing enough. I'm not sure why reporting that somehow offends you.

The reporting should be scrutinized. The shaky hand held camera, the music and a heavy cop perspective. The real story is that a small number of people cause the overwhelming number of problems on the transit system and those problems are largely contained within that community. The truest part was when the one community worker/advocate says “we dont like seeing homelessness”

 

[IanO]

Transit is MUCH better than it was during COVID->2024, but its quality of experience is still far below what it should be in a modern 'metropolitan' city. I literally call Transit Watch multiple times a week for incidents and issues around a single station that make question my own safety, let alone asking my mom or sister or nephew to take LRT Downtown to visit.

There's been a lot of good work and progress on this and it's refreshing to see ETS and the City finally take this effort seriously, but it's going to take awhile to change habits and let people know that if you are using the system that you cannot use the system.

The bar is simply still too low and pushes thousands away on a daily basis.

BUT, it is a multi-part series and so let's wait to see what the other cities have to share and how they are captured.

 

[Greenspace]

Transit is one of our largest expenses as a city now, and debt going to pay for LRT expansion. It HAS to be safe and friendly to ride.

 

[Yeggy]

Transit is one of our largest expenses as a city now, and debt going to pay for LRT expansion. It HAS to be safe and friendly to ride.

Agreed, and with millions of trips a month, how many safety incidents occur during that same time period? what is that expressed as a ratio?

I will bet large amounts of money I am more likely to be pick pocketed on the paris metro than to have anything negativity to me on the Edm LRT. YET Paris remains one of the most visited cities on the planet…. There needs to be room to discus bias here as its a HUGE problem.

 

[Greenspace]

Perceptions of safety are as real as safety issues itself. So whether or not there's real or perceived issues going on, still has to be addressed. If certain citizens (women, children, etc) are not feeling safe, they there's a problem.

While total ridership is up, per capita use is not up when compared to population and population growth. Why is that?

 

[Blizzard]

While total ridership is up, per capita use is not up when compared to population and population growth. Why is that?

Because we haven't grown our fleet in a meaningful way in almost 20 years. The last large-scale purchase of buses was in 2007 and 2009, when the system added 355 buses. Since then it's been replacement by attrition.

 

[Yeggy]

Perception is reality? Is that the counter argument? I woukd venture to say perception seems to be more important than reality as its clear millions of people would rather use a system with that has an invisible crime problem as opposed to one where you have to see homeless people who likely wont do anything to you personally.

You know what makes me personally feel unsafe, seeing police everywhere across the system as the police have not always acted justly or fairly.

To your last point I would ask you answer a few questions. Where are Edmonton’s largest areas of growth? How usable is the transit system in those areas? What shoukd we expect to happn when the most growth occurs in areas of the city with the least accessible transit? Do you expect the per capita number to go up? Personally I dont.

 

[Greenspace]

Because we haven't grown our fleet in a meaningful way in almost 20 years. The last large-scale purchase of buses was in 2007 and 2009, when the system added 355 buses. Since then it's been replacement by attrition.

Point about bus growth taken.

But per capita growth is less than 2014 when we didn't have the Valley Line at all and those buses were freed up for use elsewhere.

 

[thommyjo]

Perception is reality? Is that the counter argument? I woukd venture to say perception seems to be more important than reality as its clear millions of people would rather use a system with that has an invisible crime problem as opposed to one where you have to see homeless people who likely wont do anything to you personally.

You know what makes me personally feel unsafe, seeing police everywhere across the system as the police have not always acted justly or fairly.

To your last point I would ask you answer a few questions. Where are Edmonton’s largest areas of growth? How usable is the transit system in those areas? What shoukd we expect to happn when the most growth occurs in areas of the city with the least accessible transit? Do you expect the per capita number to go up? Personally I dont.

Please be careful to not discount the experiences of people different than you. Not sure your context, but often it’s easy for some people to lecture about safety and perceptions and all of that while forgetting that a 5ft tall woman, or an elderly person, or a parent with young kids, or anyone that’s experienced violence, or people with disabilities….if they say they feel unsafe, it’s a tough look to talk down to them on it.

Your bar of tolerance changes a lot based on your circumstances or season of life. And it’s simply an objective fact that people using drugs are less safe to be around. Gang members increase your risk to be near. People screaming should make you uncomfortable.

My wife and I both used transit 1 time this week each. She enjoyed being screamed at by 2 different people in Churchill while pushing a stroller with 2 young kids. Is she allowed to say that’s not ok? Or would you dismiss that?

I was on a bus on jasper and had to step inbetween an elderly lady and a man on drugs throwing food and screaming at her. I was afraid the man could become violent or have weapons and I’m not a small dude. I felt unsafe and was uncomfortable. Am I allowed to say that’s not ok?

Again… 2/2 this week for crap on transit. Neither would be reflected in any stats. But they’re real.

 

[Blizzard]

But per capita growth is less than 2014 when we didn't have the Valley Line at all and those buses were freed up for use elsewhere.

Fair enough. Our buses move more people overall in 2026 than they did in 2014 - but that's not the point in question here, I understand.

I feel Capital Line South to Heritage Valley will do the most to help per capita ridership as that will really increase access to transit for large areas that are currently very hard to serve. Valley Line West will free up probably 100,000 annual service hours but mostly in areas that have existing frequent, express, and/or crosstown service. Metro Line North would do the same as Capital Line South in terms of increasing access competitively with private vehicles, but unless the Federal gov't feels they need Edmonton to win an election any time soon...

Just waiting on that new bus garage... Any day now...