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Something I've noticed is that on weekends and nights only 2 car trains are run. Combined with the change to 15 minute service, every train car feels full with limited seating available. It feels safer but less comfortable.
 
"Bystanders can help make Edmonton transit safer, new campaign vows"
Hahahahaha I just want to make sure that this wasn't published on April 1st as an April Fools joke. Whoever put this together at the city could not have done it with a straight face or probably has not been in an LRT station in the last decade.

We as a general pop are absolutely not equipped to deal with safety issues in the LRT stations and honestly, why would you put yourself in harms way?

For example, those that are overdosing on PCPs can be aggressive coming out of their highs. So if you intervene with, say, a naloxone kit, they may become aggressive and harm the individual just trying to intervene. This is why first responders are facing violence when they arrive at scenes in which someone has overdosed. Is it worth it for an everyday individual to intervene?

I know of one university in the Edmonton area that discussed implementing intervention training because of the number of employees that took transit to the university and the proposal was axed because it was a massive health and safety risk to the university because employees are not equipped to intervene.

Furthermore, the intention for naloxone kits when they were first introduced is not for what they are being used for today. Naloxone kits were meant for people who may have taken a drug and had a bad high or if teens at a concert took a drug that ended up having something else in it. They were not intended to be used as the backbone of intervention in LRT stations to deal with addicts who are messed up beyond their mind on PCP.

To suggest there is a safe way for everyday people taking transit to intervene is not only a ridiculous thing to say, its actually a terrible thing to encourage in my opinion. If the city is not properly equipped to be dealing with a social health and crime crises like we are facing, how the hell are everyday individuals who are just trying to get to work or school? April fools jokes aside, this to me is actually a completely irresponsible thing to encourage.
 
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Perhaps they took a day off for the holiday. They seemed to be regularly hanging out right infront of the elevator in groups on the upper level at Corona lately, which must be quite intimidating for anyone who has mobility issues and has to use it. Btw, that area is not in the fare only zone, so checking for fares will not stop this.
 
Perhaps they took a day off for the holiday. They seemed to be regularly hanging out right infront of the elevator in groups on the upper level at Corona lately, which must be quite intimidating for anyone who has mobility issues and has to use it. Btw, that area is not in the fare only zone, so checking for fares will not stop this.
The no loitering by-law should handle that issue
 
Yes, I expect it would. I'm not sure how much it is enforced. I expect mostly when someone complains or the groups become too large or disruptive.
 
Every time I visit WEM I’m always reminded how many families and kids are around haha. Downtown and Strathcona you just see so few. And of course it’s because of cars/parking, suburbs vs more urban areas. But it really gets me thinking about how many families are just looking for something to do on the weekend. And downtown is rarely of interest for most. I think the LRT safety and general disorder must be a top reason. The challenges of keeping public spaces safe vs private I guess. The mall must feel so safe and clean vs any “outdoor” alternatives around our main streets and central city.

I wonder if we need to apply the 8 80 city design thinking not just to infrastructure, but safety/crime/disorder too.
 
I think you were more correct on your first point - parking. I would argue another major reason is proximity. If people are living in a suburban area, then the mall is closer than downtown.

As much attention as LRT safety gets lately, lets be honest - suburban people weren't all flocking downtown on the weekends before it became a big issue. So, it probably doesn't help, but it is not the main reason.
 

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