SkyTrain alarm designed to discourage loitering ran only for testing purposes, says TransLink

TransLink says a so-called "mosquito alarm" set up outside Vancouver's Main Street-Science World SkyTrain Station, designed to discourage loitering, was run only as a test earlier this week, with no plans to get it up and running again.

Mosquito alarms are devices that emit continuous, high-frequency sounds to discourage people from gathering or loitering in a certain area. 

"TransLink has received dozens of reports of disorderly conduct and criminal activity at the Main Street-Science World SkyTrain station over recent months," a TransLink spokesperson said.

"In an effort to address this challenge and prevent gatherings at station entrances we have tested a device which emits a high frequency noise to determine its effectiveness. This device is not active currently."

The regional transportation authority told CBC News that the device was first set up at the station in March and has only been run on a test basis a couple of times since then. The organization has no plans to turn it back on at this point.

Advocates, however, say that the alarm is an example of "hostile architecture".

"Those are different types of architecture or systems that are put in place by businesses or by buildings, or in this case TransLink, to try to deter people, most often those who are unhoused from occupying space nearby," said Union Gospel Mission spokesperson Nicole Mucci.

"It really kind of highlights the broader social issues that we see around how we treat folks who are more marginalized when they're in public spaces, and often it's almost as if they're pests or less than human."

It's not the first time an organization has looked into employing high-frequency devices or other noise-based deterrents. 

The practice has been used across Canada and other places too, including the U.K. and the U.S.A.

In 2021, workers and visitors at a Prince George drop-in centre noted that a three-minute long opera clip was being played loudly, on repeat, around the clock. A CBC report at the time noted that other businesses in the city, ranging from salons to fast food chains, also picked up the practice in order to discourage loitering.

"The sound sticks with you and it leaves your ears ringing. It can leave you feeling a little bit disoriented," Mucci said. 

Meanwhile, there could be health risks associated with being exposed to high-frequency sonic emissions for too long.

A 2007 report from the German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health on The Mosquito — a particular brand of high-frequency device — noted that people exposed to the noise for too long could experience impacts to their balance, along with dizziness and headaches.

Mucci said if the device were to play consistently at the Main Street-Science World, it would mean another barrier for unhoused people seeking shelter and rest at Thornton Park, across the street.

"People who are experiencing homelessness are often facing really profound challenges, just simply in the day-to-day aspects of survival," she said.

She suggested that instead of employing high-frequency sound, TransLink could up its security levels in the area around the station in an attempt to deter criminal activity.

That's something the organization said it's working on. 

A new community safety officer program from Metro Vancouver Transit Police has hired 11 new officers specialized in community policing, crisis de-escalation, mental health awareness, legal studies, and traffic safety. Another 13 officers will be brought on to round out that program.

TransLink said it's also working to build awareness of safety features available to passengers, including silent alarms, emergency intercoms, and the 87-77-77 text service.