Would you be reluctant to ride public transportation given.....

[gimmethesimplelife]

the shooting today on the light rail system in Dallas, and numerous instances of passangers lighting up fentanyl on buses in LA, Seattle, and Portland, and also the light rail systems of LA and Portland? Lately it seems to me that public transportation has become a mirror of what's going on in society - drug use, more belligerant (sp?) passengers and now violence up to and including shootings?

I add a quick personal story that I have yet to share here. Two months ago I had the morning off and there was free Spanish tutoring at Phoenix College so I went - I can practice at home but sometimes I "get it" better in a more school-like situation. So I go to morning tutoring and then afterwards, I walk over to the bus stop on 15th Avenue going North. A woman stands behind me as I'm boarding. She sits directly across from me and starts yelling at me not to record her - I had my phone out and was texting someone. She starts speaking gibberish very loudly and I got up and moved to the back of the bus. This woman follows me, gets in my face like she's going to hit me, and pushes my smartphone out of my hands after making comments about my sexual orientation.

I get off the bus after this and I have not been paying attention to the bus stops but I got off the bus exactly where I wanted to. Luckily, the woman does not get off the bus. I am so grateful. I am not afraid of being assualted by a woman - what I was TERRIFIED of was the police getting involved as they follow the anti male Duluth Model which essentially boils down to women being angels and men being predators. In such a situation I am extremely vulnerable to arrest even though I have done nothing wrong. I was shaking with fear and my stomach wasn't helping as I needed to upchuck and luckily found a parking lot off the street for this. The bus took a good three minutes to leave the bus stop and I am going to guess that this woman acted up on the bus after I left and the driver, who was OK with my being vulnerable to the Duluth Model - perhaps he finally took charge of the situation and told the woman to zip it or get off the bus? At any rate, this is my recent experience with insanity on mass transit.

I really am seriously debating getting a car at this point. Though there is a part of me that wonders had the police gotten involved and had I been arrested for absolutely nothing - could I escalate this to getting out of the US permanently, and more importantly, could I get sufficient media attention for not only the world to know the risk men are in the US due to the Duluth Model, but could something actually be done regarding overturning or at least modifying the Duluth Model? Of course with this I have to factor in that I am making very good money these days - is the money enough to buy my silence, and if so, how do I accept this about myself?

Gotta say - even making decent money - this country leaves an awful awful awful lot to be desired. But I digress - what's your take on mass transit, given the current givens? Rob

PS Should this be moved to Transportation? Given the political nature of the middle to end of the post I placed it here. Alan, if it's appopriate to move this post elsewhere, please do so. Rob

[ApatheticNoMore]

Not really, I mean within the same week, my boyfriend had a crazy homeless person pounding on his car while he was in it, and then the same for me. Ok so it was a bad week for that I guess. But cars are no guarantee of anything either, technically there is a chunk of metal around you as protection sure, but it's like what is anyone supposed to do when they encounter such situations? No you can't run over people. You just wait it out.

[iris lilies]

After my ill-fated, last trip on Metrolink from the airport, the light rail system, I’m rethinking, taking it at all. I won’t be taking it at night, or at dusk, that’s for damn sure. But then it’s such a pain to have someone pick you up after a flight. I dunno.

I won’t go into the details, except that it was SO bad on several levels. I wasn’t threatened tho, I don’t want to say that. But on the trip home, there was a crazy person who interacted with me after all of the drama of actually getting on the train, and believe me there was drama about getting on the train. Two trips ago on the way to the airport there was a girl fight, the train stopped, and the police came.

[frugal-one]

Funny thing happened last week. DH and I went to village wide garage sales. We were sitting in the car just ready to get out when his (driver's side) door opens and a woman stares at him mouth wide open! She had the same car and thought she was getting into her own. She laughed and told him he had great taste in cars! We had a good chuckle.

[gimmethesimplelife]

After my ill-fated, last trip on Metrolink from the airport, the light rail system, I’m rethinking, taking it at all. I won’t be taking it at night, or at dusk, that’s for damn sure. But then it’s such a pain to have someone pick you up after a flight. I dunno.

I won’t go into the details, except that it was SO bad on several levels. I wasn’t threatened tho, I don’t want to say that. But on the trip home, there was a crazy person who interacted with me after all of the drama of actually getting on the train, I believe me there was drama. Two trips ago on the way to the airport there was a girl fight, the train stopped, and the police came.

Learn something new every day! I did not know that St. Louis has light rail. And I'm glad we both emerged in one piece after our experiences. Rob

[Yppej]

In my state it is more accidents, trains go off the rails, they're always late, and they lost half their passengers during the pandemic. Nervous types were afraid of being around other people and normal people hated the mask mandate.

[Tradd]

20-22 years ago I rode Chicago public transit, both the L trains and buses, all over. No more. Crime on the CTA is a big problem. News stories all the time with passengers saying they’re cutting back and being much more careful. The buses were always generally safer than the L. Seems that is still the case, as far as I can tell.

[bae]

I ride some public transportation here all the time (the ferry system), and in the UK/Europe (trains, subways, ferries).

I don't think I would allow fantasies of "the Duluth Model" to interfere with any rational self defense action I would take, nor would I allow an assault on my person.

[jp1]

I'm not any more afraid of being harmed on transit than I am anywhere else. Everywhere outside one's home includes the risk of random death from American style "freedom".

[catherine]

I think the part of the problem is systemic. We have created a car culture that relegates public transportation to the people who can't afford cars. We don't have an infrastructure that makes public transportation convenient or efficient. Unless you're in a major city where most people rely on busses and trains to get to work, if you get on a bus you are being transported with people who may be poor, homeless, mentally ill... etc. Not to blame the people--I'm blaming the system. If you go to countries like the Netherlands, many ride bikes to ultra-speedy and efficient trains. Here, busses and trains in many cities are a last resort for people who can't get to where they're going any other way.

ETA: If I had to take a bus, either in my former state or the one I live in now, unless I were on a commuter bus to Manhattan, I admit, I'd feel "weird"--and out of place. I'm not proud of feeling that way but it speaks to my point. If you don't have a car in this country, you're "weird."