[AlvinofDiaspar]

Well, yes but was this at the door of a subway car (TTC staff are not common on platforms but even if there cannot be at every door) or on a bus (or a streetcar) where staff (operators) are not far away or at a station exit where were are (sometimes) staff. Of course, 'something should be done" but without some details it is hard to know what - having hundreds of staff or security wandering around is clearly unaffordable.

"Easy". Zero tolerance - and for subways (and perhaps streetcars and buses - with planning) you can position police/security at key stations (termini, key interchanges, "hot spots" and would "sweep" the vehicle upon report. It is a moving vehicle afterall. It should be done thoughtfully and humanely - the point of contact is to perhaps connect them to services, but the "choice" of wandering the train or vehicle cannot be accepted.

AoD

 

[Northern Light]

"Easy". Zero tolerance - and for subways (and perhaps streetcars and buses - with planning) you can position police/security at key stations and would "sweep" the vehicle upon report. It is a moving vehicle afterall.

AoD

Upon report by whom? Did you report this morning's issue to staff? If they don't know about it, there's little to be done.

Certainly, if people inform TTC staff, security/police should be summoned, no argument there. But someone has to notify them.

****

Most people simply lack either the knowledge, the ambition or the patience to tackle these things.

When my local bus route was running all 3 buses in a pack again the other day, as I was looking to leave and catch the bus; I took the time to phone TTC, asked to be patched through to the route supervisor, and I persuaded them to fix the problem, which I saw them do on my screen before heading out the door.

I've got to believe I'm one of very few people who takes the time to do that.

Security/inconvenience issues are no different.

Phone the right person, speak nicely, engender empathy, make them aware of how bad this looks/how it could go wrong, watch fix happen.

Of course, ideally, it wouldn't require all that pro-activeness on the part of customers.......but c'est la vie.

 

[DSC]

"Easy". Zero tolerance - and for subways (and perhaps streetcars and buses - with planning) you can position police/security at key stations (termini, key interchanges, "hot spots" and would "sweep" the vehicle upon report. It is a moving vehicle afterall. It should be done thoughtfully and humanely - the point of contact is to perhaps connect them to services, but the "choice" of wandering the train or vehicle cannot be accepted.

AoD

From this post, I assume that your encounter was with a homeless person on a train blocking a door. As @Northern Light notes, this is a situation that TTC staff will have a hard time knowing about in time to fix it without someone complaining. Though the TTC is certainly far from perfect, I think that if they keep getting complaints about this kind of thing in Location A (Or time B) they would arrange for some of their security to keep a watchful eye.

 

[turbanplanner]

Upon report by whom? Did you report this morning's issue to staff? If they don't know about it, there's little to be done.

Certainly, if people inform TTC staff, security/police should be summoned, no argument there. But someone has to notify them.

****

Most people simply lack either the knowledge, the ambition or the patience to tackle these things.

When my local bus route was running all 3 buses in a pack again the other day, as I was looking to leave and catch the bus; I took the time to phone TTC, asked to be patched through to the route supervisor, and I persuaded them to fix the problem, which I saw them do on my screen before heading out the door.

I've got to believe I'm one of very few people who takes the time to do that.

Security/inconvenience issues are no different.

Phone the right person, speak nicely, engender empathy, make them aware of how bad this looks/how it could go wrong, watch fix happen.

Of course, ideally, it wouldn't require all that pro-activeness on the part of customers.......but c'est la vie.

I got off the train at victoria park once because a woman was hitting people (I was going to kennedy) I talked to an employee who got off the train because that was insane and asked how do I report it to? (my thinking was if they held the train they'd be able to at least take the woman in and charge her if she did it again)

The guy just gave me a dirty look and said it happens all the time, no point reporting. I wish there was some quick way we could report this immediately vs hoping someone gives a shit. If I called the info number by the time I was transferred over the train would have turned around and everyone would be off.

 

[Northern Light]

I got off the train at victoria park once because a woman was hitting people (I was going to kennedy) I talked to an employee who got off the train because that was insane and asked how do I report it to? (my thinking was if they held the train they'd be able to at least take the woman in and charge her if she did it again)

The guy just gave me a dirty look and said it happens all the time, no point reporting. I wish there was some quick way we could report this immediately vs hoping someone gives a shit. If I called the info number by the time I was transferred over the train would have turned around and everyone would be off.

An anecdote again.

****

If someone is being violent, you could have pushed the yellow strip on board and the train would have been stopped and authorities summoned.

Further, Victoria Park is above ground and you could have called 911.

Inconveniences are a lesser matter where delaying a train full of people is a mixed bag in terms of choices. Hitting people is not a confusing scenario, and you had two very clear options, and chose neither.

You want something done, do it!

 

[turbanplanner]

An anecdote again.

****

If someone is being violent, you could have pushed the yellow strip on board and the train would have been stopped and authorities summoned.

Further, Victoria Park is above ground and you have called 911.

Inconveniences are a lesser matter where delaying a train full of people is a mixed bag in terms of choices. Hitting people is not a confusing scenario, and you had two very clear options, and chose neither.

You want something done, do it!

Buddy that's the thing, I'm not an expert and nearly nobody in the general public is. Maybe it's a bad idea to have a violet person locked in with passengers, maybe they'd attack whoever pressed the strip.

If he alerted transit control they could potentially have someone waiting at Kennedy. You think a violent person is going to become calm once an alarm goes off and they're locked in with 50 people?
I admitted I didn't know what to do and went to someone who has some sort of training.

Word spreads quick, if people see a "who cares attitude" when it comes to their safety, that's going to leave an impact on them and anyone who hears the story.

 

[Northern Light]

Buddy that's the thing,

I am not your buddy, as should be abundantly clear by now.

I'm not an expert and nearly nobody in the general public is.

There is no expertise required to press a yellow strip or to phone 911.

Maybe it's a bad idea to have a violet person locked in with passengers, maybe they'd attack whoever pressed the strip.

You said the person was already hitting people. Make up your mind please. There is no added risk if you're already being hit. (note, its this sort of inconsistency that makes me think you make a lot of stuff up)

If he alerted transit control they could potentially have someone waiting at Kennedy.

Or they could summon someone immediately if you pressed the strip or phoned 911.

You think a violent person is going to become calm once an alarm goes off and they're locked in with 50 people?

Why would they be locked in? When you press the strip, the train stops at the next station and the doors open, and stay open. No one is locked in.

I admitted I didn't know what to do and went to someone who has some sort of training.

No training required.

 

[JasonParis]

Well I have a minor run in this morning with a homeless guy who chose to stand right at the door with all his belonging and refuse to move aside and let others through a busy stop. This is the kind of behaviour that any sane operator of transit should brook no tolerance of.

AoD

Sort of my ongoing point. These stations (and trains) are manned. The staff isn't being utilized right. I realized there are some union issues, but it's been worked around in other jurisdictions, I don't see why it is impossible to here. Are we even trying?

 

[PinkLucy]

Buddy that's the thing, I'm not an expert and nearly nobody in the general public is. Maybe it's a bad idea to have a violet person locked in with passengers, maybe they'd attack whoever pressed the strip.

If he alerted transit control they could potentially have someone waiting at Kennedy. You think a violent person is going to become calm once an alarm goes off and they're locked in with 50 people?
I admitted I didn't know what to do and went to someone who has some sort of training.

Word spreads quick, if people see a "who cares attitude" when it comes to their safety, that's going to leave an impact on them and anyone who hears the story.

Yellow strip. That’s what it’s for.

 

[turbanplanner]

I am not your buddy, as should be abundantly clear by now.



There is no expertise required to press a yellow strip or to phone 911.



You said the person was already hitting people. Make up your mind please. There is no added risk if you're already being hit. (note, its this sort of inconsistency that makes me think you make a lot of stuff up)



Or they could summon someone immediately if you pressed the strip or phoned 911.



Why would they be locked in? When you press the strip, the train stops at the next station and the doors open, and stay open. No one is locked in.



No training required.

I’ve never pressed the strip, I’ve heard stories where the train has stopped before. Why are you expecting a random passenger (me) to understand the process?

Buddy is a term like bro. If someone says bro you don’t assume the are related?

 

[turbanplanner]

Yellow strip. That’s what it’s for.

I disagree, if an employee is right on the platform I’d rather speak to them

 

[APTA-2048]

Why would they be locked in? When you press the strip, the train stops at the next station and the doors open, and stay open. No one is locked in.

The aggressor may even be scared off and leave on their own. Some dude was threatening to beat me up many years ago. I pressed the yellow strip, we stopped at the station, and he ran away as soon as the doors opened.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Yellow strip. That’s what it’s for.

The yellow strip is reactive and not at all discreet - huge burden on the user, and probably overkill given it's not a life and death emergency. Your fellow riders will hate you for it even if it is justified. You want something that is more for the information of the operators so that they can take care of it at the first opportunity.

AoD

 

[turbanplanner]

The aggressor may even be scared off and leave on their own. Some dude was threatening to beat me up many years ago. I pressed the yellow strip, we stopped at the station, and he ran away as soon as the doors opened.

I don’t want them to runoff though, that’s the issue we have people who do whatever they feel like then leave and if there ever caught the last incident isn’t recorded so they are free to go to for the most part.

 

[Northern Light]

The yellow strip is reactive and not at all discreet - huge burden on the user, and probably overkill given it's not a life and death emergency. Your fellow riders will hate you for it even if it is justified. You want something that is more for the information of the operators so that they can take care of it at the first opportunity.

AoD

In this case, the suggestion was that a passenger was hitting other passengers...... The yellow strip is entirely appropriate for that.