Although too late in my mind, at least Slay is recognizing and addressing a very serious issue for the region as a whole and taking a stand. As Guillioni understood well as Mayor of New York, perception of crime is reality. Many citizens will now, no doubt, fear using one of the region’s most vital resources, Metrolink, because of the lack of security. The fact that Joe Edwards is quoted as saying that it isn’t a problem is a joke. Being that he owns most of the property on Delmar, I wouldn’t consider him an objective source of information on this. I think he is more interested in protecting his investment than speaking the truth. This issues calls for regional leadership and immediate action with a show of force demonstrating that it will not be tolerated.

“Long time city resident here - I ride the bus everyday to the metrolink and then take the train to work. Same way home. Done it for about a year now.

Never seen a single crime or fight. Not one.

Just out of curiosity - how many of the “we need guns and armed guards on every train” people actually ride the train every day? Or is it just to the occasional ballgame, and then back home to the burbs wher you complain about the city’s “negro problem”?”

To this poster: I ride the train everyday, I’ve been assaulted myself ON the train. We need more security on this train, you’re blind if you don’t think so. I’ve seen others harassed as well. Yes, it happens. There you go.

>>>”The job I work I make less than $11.00 a hour,and haven’t had a raise in over 2 and a half years,and still do everything I’m ask to do for my job.”<<<

That’s very heroic, Steve, but when everything that can go wrong at your job does, how many people’s lives are at risk?

Does your boss expect you to carry a gun at work but not wear a bullet-resistant vest?

Have you ever tried to break up a fight between two people much bigger than you, because you could be fired if you don’t?

I’ve done my share of time as a MetroLink rider, and behavior on the train itself is not usually a problem.

It’s waiting at the station, especially alone and at night, when the ‘brave men’ seem to come out of the sewers to harass and attack.

But don’t worry, Steve, I’m sure some Security Officer will fly to the rescue if it ever happens to you.

Unless, of course, he’s left and gone to work at Rally’s (or White Castle, which pays better than almost ANY security job).

(By the way, Steve, I said if the officer is LUCKY he makes $12 an hour. I don’t even know what Securitas pays their MetroLink people. The point is, you get what you pay for, especially when you’re expecting people to put themselves in harm’s way to protect the public. As for you staying at a job for 2 1/2 years without a raise, welcome to the club. I left my last security job after the boss tried to get us .25 cents an hour after three years and was turned down. Everybody wants the Marines, but they only want to pay for Barney Fife.)

I say let the riders fend for themselves…I guarantee once a few thugs get thrown under the train MetroLink will get its sh*t together.

After several years of living in STL, I moved to New York City three years ago. I ride the subway multiple times a day, including late at night and I always feel safe though I keep my guard up. On a recent visit to STL, I took the MetroLink from the airport to downtown at 2:00pm on July 4th and I did not feel particularly safe. Even though there were a lot of riders headed to Fair St. Louis. There was a group of young people taunting a young gay man - who was holding his own - and it was easy to see how these situations can lead to violence. Both the city AND the county must step up security and crack down on all violations. New York City’s subway crime and graffiti problems were solved in part by cracking down on fare jumpers and other “minor” offenses. This let people know that the city was serious about making the subways safe by having zero tolerance for any violation.

Rhyno,

It’s possible that the presence of security at stations like Clayton, Brentwood, and Shrewsbury keeps the thugs away. On the other hand, though, I don’t routinely see groups of young people that make me feel unsafe at Dierbergs or Best Buy (either side of the Brentwood station), in downtown Clayton, around Forest Park and Big Bend, or in Shrewsbury. I DO sometimes see groups that make me feel uneasy in the Loop and along DeBaliviere. So I’m not sure…

I will say that fare enforcement is significantly more common on the Shrewsbury branch than on the Lambert branch, which is another problem in my mind. I’m not convinced that not having a system with turnstiles is such a bad thing. There are stations where it isn’t a problem. That means, though, that the security people ought to focus on the stations (Richmond Heights, Forest Park, Delmar, Wellston, etc.) where there is a problem.

Perhaps Slay should push to make participation in mobbing a felony crime. It can be done. Meantime, we don’t need the police, but the fire department. Get out the hoses and fire away at the mobs. No use of lethal force necessary to wash them away.

So Mayor Slay has acknowledged the problem. Big Deal. He’ll just turn a blind eye until it’s re-election time. Even then he’ll shift the blame to someone else; more of the “political two-step”.

If Krewson and Edwards think this is “unusual”, then they need to spend time in the area before they open their mouths. Krewson really lives in an ivory tower and Edwards knows how to fix up an area, but not what actually happens in that area.

It’s really sad when area leaders really have no idea what is going on in the community they serve. Too bad they keep getting handed the power to shape the community. Maybe somebody should look in to that…after the election.

For the most part, I would describe metro as a safe and cost effective means of transit for those who have nearby access to the trams.

However, I myself after riding Metro safely for four years have been assaulted on the platform. I was attacked one morning waiting for a tram on the scottrade center platform. The assailants jumped me as I sat waiting for my westbound tram and they quickly entered an eastbound tram as it pulled up to the station.

Since then, I try to avoid riding metro without company or outside of public events such as the baseball game. I take care to be more aware of my surroundings for my own safety as well as those around me. Metro security is not the only party responsible for watching out for riders, we all are. A relatively small number of people are discouraging an otherwise developing transit system. Recent events involving groups are something that require cooperation between local law enforcement and security, but inability of security to manage or prosecute even isolated events only condones these actions. With security employees and cameras at every station you would think more could be done.

Let me throw a question out there… is it reasonable to expect all of Metrolink to be safe at all hours at which it operates? When I lived in Chicago, there certainly were parts of the El system I would avoid at certain times. I think the same is true in other cities, and I think that a lot of the Metrolink system is relatively safe most of the time. Are we maybe expecting too much?

I’m yet another daily rider on both Metrolink AND several buses. I use the entire system to commute to work, go grocery shopping, run random errands, etc. I’m a thin, young, professional woman, reasonably attractive and not strong in the least. It definitely would not be difficult to take advantage of me. I have to say that I’ve never been assaulted or have even seen anything untowards happen. The worst thing I’ve ever had is random guys hitting on me (no, not in the physical sense), but as many women out there will attest, that happens everywhere.

At most of the Metrolink stops I use (most between downtown and Maplewood OR Delmar Loop), there usually is at least one guard. Sometimes there are more. Lately (before these incidents were reported), I’ve seen increased security at the FP-DeBaliviere, Delmar and Grand stations. These probably would be some of the stations most people might think of needing more security. Regardless, it’s hyperbole to say that the guards aren’t there.

Next, I frequently have my monthly pass checked on the train and/or heading to the platform. This usually happens during my commuting time (7:30-9 a.m. or 4-8 p.m. for me), but it also happens at other times, particularly at night. I’ve only seen one person deliberately not purchase a fare and not have a ticket when the guards came around checking. Plus I’ve overheard people (usually teenagers) saying things like “Man, just don’t mess with a ticket today” followed up by the other person saying “I can’t! The guards will catch me!” and then they buy their fare.

This is not to say that stations don’t need more security. It would be great to have a guard on each side of the platform AND at major bus stations (I’m particularly thinking of Grand here). I’d imagine that is what Metro, the city and the county would like to have happen as well and is probably what they will work on.

Here’s what I have a problem with, though. Many of you are claiming that Metrolink doesn’t have enough security. The recent incidents that have been reported in the Post have NOT all happened on Metro property, though. Their guards are confined to Metro property. They can’t go patrolling on Pershing, a block north of the FP-Deb station. Be sensible in what you ask of Metro and the guards. Yes, more security would be nice and probably is needed, but don’t imply that Metro security is not doing their jobs when the guards can’t do what you’re foolishly demanding here. Police? Sure, they can patrol beyond the stations, but Metro guards can’t.

Next, many of you are demanding turnstiles. I disagree that turnstiles (the kind you see at amusement parks and such) are the way to go. They’re too low and are easy to jump. If anything, the best option beyond the honor system would be to have the gates/turnstyles used in Chicago and New York along with a transit card that you enter and remove from the machine. Those often are harder to get past and serve as good deterrents for those without a fare.

There are, however, other cities using the honor system, so stop with the hyperbole that we’re the only place that uses this.

I’m not saying that Metro doesn’t have problems. Sure it does. All public transit agencies do. *** There are no public transportation entities in the country that turn a profit.*** They’re not designed to. They’re designed as a public good and public convenience. Now that doesn’t mean that they can’t operate smartly, but please don’t spout off uneducated things like “Well, if Metro did X or Y, we’d have more than enough money to fund the X line.” That’s just not true.

Do you know where money for public transportation comes from, not just here, but in cities all over the nation? No, not just from your personal tax dollars. Depending on location and other factors, transit money comes from farebox revenue, local taxes, highway taxes, state funds, federal funds, and many, many grants. It’s not easy to get enough money together to start new transit in a city and grow it exponentially. Hell, it’s hard enough to sustain it. State and federal funds don’t provide a lot, and what little they do provide is being squeezed out because it’s not in the Fed budget anymore. These often are only good for a few years. In addition, the dollars that went to public transit from the highway tax is being cut. When you provide a public good, you always, always, always have to look for new funding from a variety of entities.

So you think Metro needs turnstiles. So you think Metro needs more security. So you think Metro needs public restrooms and rail and bus lines to X neighborhood. *** Fine. Help fix it. *** Ride the train or bus to more than just a ballgame. Attend the Metro planning meetings. Attend your community meetings. Write to local, state and federal leaders. *** And vote for the piddly 1/2 cent tax increase this November. *** That small increase won’t do much for expansion, except for starting the paperwork to that Westport rail line that Dooley wants so much. It will be just enough to sustain service. If you countians who want the convenience of going to a ballgame once in a blue moon pass the tax, then the city portion also will kick in again. In addition, perhaps there will be more talk of statewide funding, since Kansas City also would like to build light rail there. That’s two major cities in Missouri. Illinois passed a tax to help transit, even though only Chicago and the East St. Louis region really use it much. Why can’t Missouri?

So here’s the takeaway: You can’t make things better without money. It’s common sense. So do something about it.

Also, I just can’t bring myself to comment on all the race-bashing and weapon-advocating comments here. They sadden me too much.