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Paparddeli t1_j6ayxhg wrote

Reply to comment by ThreePointsPhilly in 50% of ALL of SEPTA's problems can be solved overnight by installing barriers that prevent gate hopping on Broad and MFL lines by scatterbrainedpast

Our numbers of police and transit police specifically is way down following retirements and mediocre recruiting. I pretty much never see them when I ride. And I think they've basically backed off completely in enforcing fare evasion, smoking on the platforms and in the cars and drug use. The SEPTA police chief quit recently, maybe over that issue.

I'm certainly in favor of hiring social workers, but I don't think transit stations/cars should be the place for really making an intervention in people's lives (maybe the homeless outreach place at Suburban Station, but otherwise, no).

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ThreePointsPhilly t1_j6b0h3u wrote

So people are riding for free now. And transit police don’t do anything.

Sounds like we need drastic change, not more of the same. Because the current system clearly isn’t working. So how do you propose making it cleaner and safer under the current system? Rely on the same Transit cops and unsuccessful solutions in place and…hope for the best?

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UndercoverPhilly t1_j6bdvr5 wrote

The police are MIA so we can't rely on them.

Free rides for everyone will not work because those that are making the rides uncomfortable for a lot of people will still be on there. Even if it is free I'm not riding it while junkies reign free and the rest of the anti-social behavior and misdemeanors are happening on the BSL or MFL. I'd rather walk or take the bus and I don't need to see or experience all that negativity if I can help it.

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ThreePointsPhilly t1_j6bgldb wrote

So what’s the solution? Just make it harder to pay? That doesn’t work either. It’s not working now. People in this thread admit it doesn’t work.

So what’s the solution? It’s not lock people up willy nilly either.

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UndercoverPhilly t1_j6bi2la wrote

Eventually they are going to get locked up. The more violence and anti-social behaviors that occur, the less sympathy there will be for them. I don't think we are at a point in the USA in which society is going to turn around and embrace a new kind of way to deal with breaking the law or in which the American people are going to change from being individualist, you are on your own, to "it takes a village," in the next 5-10 years. We've seen a multitude of mass shootings, even of children and nobody has done ANYTHING to help, other than train children and teachers to hide. If we aren't willing to protect our own children from being gunned down, we aren't going to help a junkie who is harassing people, shooting up or engaging in other anti-social behavior on public transportation.

I could be wrong, and I'd be happy if I were and something is developed that changes things for the better. I think it is more likely that the pendulum will swing in the other direction and there will be a harder crack down on violent crime and the petty crimes as well.

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ThreePointsPhilly t1_j6biqsw wrote

Well that’s a depressing and heartbreaking mentality. The solution to jumping the turnstile will be…hard time? Come on.

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UndercoverPhilly t1_j6bk1sb wrote

Not necessarily for jumping the turnstile but for those people who are smoking, doing drugs, etc.on the subways and otherwise involved with criminal activity if the pendulum swings the other way (anti-crime) with leadership in the next generation. The system will probably close down (due to bankruptcy, low ridership) before there is anti-crime leadership. My point is that if we wanted a different way of life in the USA, we'd have it. Most people care about themselves (and maybe their immediate family) and that's it. I don't see that changing in at least a generation.

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douglas_in_philly t1_j6fjskk wrote

Unfortunately the idealistic solution is the most difficult to implement, and will almost certainly take the longest to show results. The vast majority of people who want to ride on SEPTA are not deranged with mental illness, nor are they high-as-a-kite junkies. But because there are enough of those people who are on SEPTA, many people are choosing not to use the system, and that will cause it to fail, and then everyone loses—including the turnstile jumpers.

You can propose your solution, others will propose theirs. The one that wins wins. Unfortunately, while most people are very sympathetic, they’re also realistic and pragmatic, and they’re not going to put other people’s problems in front of their own desire for a pleasant life. Is that good? Is it right? Unfortunately, that doesn’t matter, because it’s the way it is. I’m not saying don’t speak up and fight for it to be some other way, but if you don’t realize that this is the reality, it’s going to make your fight for idealism a lot more difficult.

At least that’s my opinion as someone who also believes in fighting for idealistic changes in our world.

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