Submitted by Key_Ad_7299 t3_126xjmd in washingtondc
WarbossTodd t1_jeboodd wrote
Sure glad they are spending $40 million on plastic doors rather than putting more cops on cars and platforms.
EC_dwtn t1_jebrr6t wrote
I don't think the new faregates will do much, but I'm guessing that people who do stuff like this are also not likely to pay their fares.
WarbossTodd t1_jebsfkz wrote
There’s absolutely a correlation between fare jumpers and events like this, but if we had more cops on the trains and platforms both issues would be addressed! Station Managers are alerted when someone jumps the gate! There’s an alarm that goes off. Station Manager notifies the platform officer, the person is ticketed and escorted off the platform. Cops on the trains and on the platforms can easily verify paid status, ticket people who haven’t paid AND ensure things like this don’t happen!
Metro is making the choice to continue to put safety behind trying to recoup profits.
EC_dwtn t1_jebu89m wrote
I'm not even opposed to having more cops, but where are you going to find them? MPD is offering a $20,000 hiring bonus because it's hard to find recruits.
And seeing as how WMATA is facing a half billion dollar deficit next year, I don't think trying to recoup lost funds is a bad thing.
Yithar t1_jec7nvx wrote
There are two things.
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I've seen a lot of people jumping as a common occurrence. Everyone should pay their fare to help maintain the system.
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There's definitely a correlation between crime and fares. Someone who's stealing wallets probably isn't very interested in paying the fare.
4RunnerPilot t1_jec2s54 wrote
More police won’t do shit. We need the the prosecutors and judges to put criminals in jail and the mentally unstable into institutions. If they actually prosecuted crime we would be the safest city in America. It’s a small number of continuous repeat offenders that wreck havoc on our city and the USAO is at fault. Could you imagine 2/3 of the time police make arrests no charges are filed. It’s pathetic.
https://www.axios.com/2023/03/29/dc-leaders-house-hearing-crime-crisis
Yithar t1_jec3d5q wrote
As stated, more police won't do that much. More police is kind of a band-aid solution to the problem. Some people with mental illness do need to be put in mental institutions as they're a danger to other people.
Making sure people pay their fare helps because someone who thinks it's okay to assault someone or steal someone's wallet sure as hell doesn't care about paying the fare. For some people, the fare can be a lot of money so they have to think about whether it's worth it or not.
Like I agree with this sentiment:
> Caring about profit is stupid, yes, but I’d argue that 99% of all crime and public hazardous drug use that occurs on RTD is done a person who did not pay the fare. > > Essentially, most metro systems use the fare not just to subsidize the cost, but also historically to prevent troublemakers from entering the system. For this reason, Denver is right to want to keep the fare and also enforce it.
sagarnola89 t1_jeextjt wrote
We need to reopen the government-run mentwl asylums that were closed down in the 80s. People like this should be picked up, put into an asylum, and given treatment.
sagarnola89 t1_jeexnv5 wrote
Disagree. I think the fare gates will make a huge difference. They will effectively keep people like this off the Metro. More police presence will be helpful, but doesn't prevent the harassment from occurring in the first place.
WarbossTodd t1_jefnvvi wrote
The news reports from the day they were installed show people jumping them.
sagarnola89 t1_jefobrk wrote
Those were the first models they tried. The new saloon style doors are very tough to jump. Should be installed on all stations within a year.
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