What Can Be Done to Make People Feel Safer on Public Transit?
<p><em>This post was co-written by </em><a href="https://medium.com/@michaelletatkinson" rel="noopener"><em>Michaelle Tuz-Atkinson, M.Sc.</em></a><em>, my wife and partner in our Substack newsletter </em><a href="https://rideon.substack.com/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"><em>Ride On: The Drive for Better Transportation Systems</em></a><em>.</em></p>
<p>Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems violence on public transit has risen considerably. Much of it involved <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2021/05/03/this-toronto-woman-is-fed-up-with-anti-asian-attacks-on-public-transit-she-wants-to-provide-safe-transportation-for-asian-canadians.html" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">anti-Asian hate crimes</a>, but more recently there has been a spike in crimes that were apparently not racially motivated, particularly with the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). Specific examples from earlier this year include two uniformed TTC employees being <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2023/01/23/two-ttc-operators-assaulted-in-despicable-swarming-attack-by-youths.html" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">“swarmed”</a> by 10–15 youths, after which <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2023/01/24/four-13-year-olds-arrested-in-despicable-ttc-swarming-attack.html" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">four 13-year olds</a> were arrested for the attack; a woman in her 20s being <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2023/01/24/one-person-rushed-to-hospital-after-stabbing-on-ttc-streetcar.html" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">stabbed multiple times</a> on a TTC streetcar; a <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2023/01/25/victim-taken-to-hospital-with-serious-injuries-after-wednesday-stabbing-aboard-ttc-bus.html" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">16 year-old boy</a> being stabbed on a TTC bus; and two TTC employees being <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2023/01/25/two-ttc-employees-chased-by-person-with-syringe-at-dundas-station-say-police.html" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">chased with a syringe</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://drrock.medium.com/given-reports-of-youths-swarming-transit-employees-and-murdering-a-homeless-man-just-to-name-two-75b43409a6f9"><strong>Visit Now</strong></a></p>