It's particularly tough for women. You have people blaring music about 'smacking b-tches' which I don't want to listen to and feels threatening. Parents don't want to ride with their kids and subject them to that. A few weeks ago I had a mentally unstable person holding a large chain try to ask me a question while blocking a door to the exit to street level. I've experienced people watching porn loudly while waiting for the bus and hearing stuff like 'f--k me in the a-- harder'. I've had weirdos try to sit right next to me too closely while there are plenty of other seats. I'm pretty sure on a few occasions I've had an erect penis pushed up against me in crowded subway cars and had to quickly move away. And of course just the run-of-the-mill open-air drug use, which is sad but also the least threatening directly. It's tough to remain an advocate for public transit while dealing with these transgressions. I get why women in particular would rather deal with the hassles of driving instead.
Real crime, sure. Perceived crime is a different category. Thought experiment: suppose it could be demonstrated that people's "perception" of the risk of crime on the subway is several orders of magnitude too high -- not based on anything real, but on some interplay of neurosis and social anxiety and propaganda and copaganda. What would one do to fix this? The usual fix offered for real crime is more policing, but cops are not very good at preventing crime, it turns out, or even at finding criminals once a crime has been committed. And it's quite expensive to have them lounging around doing Mickey Mouse shit like arresting fare-beaters. Or stopping and frisking on some (usually racially motivated) whim.
Since the crime stats are mostly cop-generated baloney, the subjective element comes into play. Several factors involved here. One is that transit is public space -- anybody can ride the subway -- and a lot of people don't like sharing space with people they consider inferior, or obscurely potentially dangerous. The driver feels like he's Lord in his little armored iron kingdom, but he's just another straphanger on the subway. A lot of people don't like equality, or fraternity, though they're very insistent on their own liberty, especially if it's subsidized. Then there's the power of anecdote, which has its own tendentious inner logic. I'll tell you my anecdote. I have been riding subways since 1970, on a daily basis. I have been mugged on the street four times, and nearly killed by drivers three times, but I have never been mugged or assaulted on the subway. As for turnstile-jumping and fare-beating, who cares?
Well, no. You can't possibly have read my comment with any attention. What I said is that crime stats are unreliable, because they come from the police, and the police lie.
I know people who went back to driving a car, even though they preferred the bus or train because of covid risk and inadequate mitigations on public transit. Sometimes the dangers are real, and sometimes the avoidance is necessary.
In cities like New York and London where the subways are used extensively night and day, the critical mass of people can also ensure that the subway stays safe. Getting to that critical mass though is a good question and requires a lot of work. Some enhancement of safety will help but ultimately transit needs to get you to where you want to go and in most places in the US that’s not true dumping you a good 20-30 min walk from your final destination in a mostly empty and pedestrian hostile area.
Ultimately the root causes need to be dealt with to have a safer system.
Also the infrastructure around the Train station and the danger from speeding and crashing traffic. Palos Park IL Chicago Metra station has incomplete sidewalks, unmarked misaligned crossover of IL-7 w repeat crashes, traffic going 50-70mph in a 40mph zone only 500ft from the Station.
I've been riding Washington, DC's Metro, both buses and rail, for over 40 years. I've seen a couple of gang fights, numerous individuals either pushing through or jumping over turnstiles, or smoking weed or cigarettes on the platform. I've seen the Metro Transit Police arrest one individual for an outstanding warrant after they caught him fare jumping, and another officer issue a person a citation for urinating in public.
I was on the Metro one evening after a day of teaching. A bunch of kids got on at the Tenleytown Station. They were running from car to car, which is illegal, making threatening gestures toward a lot of passengers, and when they exited the train at Gallery Place, one of them punched me in the back of the head as he was running off the train. I wonder if they paid their fare or jumped the turnstiles.
I haven't stopped riding Metro. I'm just more aware of my surroundings when I'm on the trains or on the platforms. On the buses, I'm not all that worried. I've only seen one incident on a bus in over 40 years. Yes, incidents do occur and yes, there is reason to be warry about riding public transportation.
Urban areas with all their conveniences and events area great places to live, but first you have to make them safe. After that, eveything else will follow suit.
Excellent question. Feels a bit like the trolly problem. Since humans are wired to deal with immediate threats vs potential ones or those with future consequences, we need different frames like this to really understand the choices we’re making.
The reality - consumers' greenhouse gas emissions causing global warming human suffering now, and immensely more in the future to the extent consumers don't promptly curtail their emissions.
The solution - Consumers (individuals, organizations, businesses, governments) must promptly minimize their greenhouse gas emissions to bridge the gap while we work on long-term green technology and infrastructure. Less heating and less cooling (none between 13C-30C/55F-85F, https://greenbetween.home.blog). Less driving. Less flying. Less meat-eating. Less population growth (2 children max). Do it yourself. Tenaciously encourage others to do it.
Great article. Solutions that work require facing reality. The challenges: getting folks to face reality - to be accounted for in recognixing the problem and designing the solution; getting folks committed to achieving a solution - providing motivation for facing reality. Can be the chicken-and-the-egg dilemma.
It's particularly tough for women. You have people blaring music about 'smacking b-tches' which I don't want to listen to and feels threatening. Parents don't want to ride with their kids and subject them to that. A few weeks ago I had a mentally unstable person holding a large chain try to ask me a question while blocking a door to the exit to street level. I've experienced people watching porn loudly while waiting for the bus and hearing stuff like 'f--k me in the a-- harder'. I've had weirdos try to sit right next to me too closely while there are plenty of other seats. I'm pretty sure on a few occasions I've had an erect penis pushed up against me in crowded subway cars and had to quickly move away. And of course just the run-of-the-mill open-air drug use, which is sad but also the least threatening directly. It's tough to remain an advocate for public transit while dealing with these transgressions. I get why women in particular would rather deal with the hassles of driving instead.
it's amazing people even hire you.
all you do is call people you don't like carbrains on twitter
Keep on the cope loser
Real crime, sure. Perceived crime is a different category. Thought experiment: suppose it could be demonstrated that people's "perception" of the risk of crime on the subway is several orders of magnitude too high -- not based on anything real, but on some interplay of neurosis and social anxiety and propaganda and copaganda. What would one do to fix this? The usual fix offered for real crime is more policing, but cops are not very good at preventing crime, it turns out, or even at finding criminals once a crime has been committed. And it's quite expensive to have them lounging around doing Mickey Mouse shit like arresting fare-beaters. Or stopping and frisking on some (usually racially motivated) whim.
Since the crime stats are mostly cop-generated baloney, the subjective element comes into play. Several factors involved here. One is that transit is public space -- anybody can ride the subway -- and a lot of people don't like sharing space with people they consider inferior, or obscurely potentially dangerous. The driver feels like he's Lord in his little armored iron kingdom, but he's just another straphanger on the subway. A lot of people don't like equality, or fraternity, though they're very insistent on their own liberty, especially if it's subsidized. Then there's the power of anecdote, which has its own tendentious inner logic. I'll tell you my anecdote. I have been riding subways since 1970, on a daily basis. I have been mugged on the street four times, and nearly killed by drivers three times, but I have never been mugged or assaulted on the subway. As for turnstile-jumping and fare-beating, who cares?
Well, no. You can't possibly have read my comment with any attention. What I said is that crime stats are unreliable, because they come from the police, and the police lie.
I know people who went back to driving a car, even though they preferred the bus or train because of covid risk and inadequate mitigations on public transit. Sometimes the dangers are real, and sometimes the avoidance is necessary.
In cities like New York and London where the subways are used extensively night and day, the critical mass of people can also ensure that the subway stays safe. Getting to that critical mass though is a good question and requires a lot of work. Some enhancement of safety will help but ultimately transit needs to get you to where you want to go and in most places in the US that’s not true dumping you a good 20-30 min walk from your final destination in a mostly empty and pedestrian hostile area.
Ultimately the root causes need to be dealt with to have a safer system.
Also the infrastructure around the Train station and the danger from speeding and crashing traffic. Palos Park IL Chicago Metra station has incomplete sidewalks, unmarked misaligned crossover of IL-7 w repeat crashes, traffic going 50-70mph in a 40mph zone only 500ft from the Station.
Metra Commuters Crossing SW Hwy
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfi4fgcd0lpf7B5G4PEv6O5Z
Cars over 70mph in 40mph Residential Area Near Metra Station, Park, & Two Major Regional Trail Systems
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfNAGP-iqfjctZ2JAq2MQ4X3Gqch2tG3
I've been riding Washington, DC's Metro, both buses and rail, for over 40 years. I've seen a couple of gang fights, numerous individuals either pushing through or jumping over turnstiles, or smoking weed or cigarettes on the platform. I've seen the Metro Transit Police arrest one individual for an outstanding warrant after they caught him fare jumping, and another officer issue a person a citation for urinating in public.
I was on the Metro one evening after a day of teaching. A bunch of kids got on at the Tenleytown Station. They were running from car to car, which is illegal, making threatening gestures toward a lot of passengers, and when they exited the train at Gallery Place, one of them punched me in the back of the head as he was running off the train. I wonder if they paid their fare or jumped the turnstiles.
I haven't stopped riding Metro. I'm just more aware of my surroundings when I'm on the trains or on the platforms. On the buses, I'm not all that worried. I've only seen one incident on a bus in over 40 years. Yes, incidents do occur and yes, there is reason to be warry about riding public transportation.
Urban areas with all their conveniences and events area great places to live, but first you have to make them safe. After that, eveything else will follow suit.
Excellent question. Feels a bit like the trolly problem. Since humans are wired to deal with immediate threats vs potential ones or those with future consequences, we need different frames like this to really understand the choices we’re making.
The reality - consumers' greenhouse gas emissions causing global warming human suffering now, and immensely more in the future to the extent consumers don't promptly curtail their emissions.
The solution - Consumers (individuals, organizations, businesses, governments) must promptly minimize their greenhouse gas emissions to bridge the gap while we work on long-term green technology and infrastructure. Less heating and less cooling (none between 13C-30C/55F-85F, https://greenbetween.home.blog). Less driving. Less flying. Less meat-eating. Less population growth (2 children max). Do it yourself. Tenaciously encourage others to do it.
The "feeling of danger" can be manufactured by propaganda. As for crime stats, they're dogshit data. The cops make them up.
Great article. Solutions that work require facing reality. The challenges: getting folks to face reality - to be accounted for in recognixing the problem and designing the solution; getting folks committed to achieving a solution - providing motivation for facing reality. Can be the chicken-and-the-egg dilemma.
100%. A taboo, but critically important topic