Closed system not a fix for Calgary Transit's safety issues, says report

It was billed as a potential fix for Calgary Transit's safety issues: a closed system, with turnstiles to ensure only those who pay can enter a transit platform while fare skippers and those loitering can't.

But a third-party consultant's report looked at the feasibility of a closed or partially closed system and found neither would work for Calgary Transit. 

"The system was never designed for that," said David Cooper, principal with Leading Mobility Consulting.

Cooper explained that most jurisdictions with closed systems use gates for fare evasion, but Calgary's conversation centred around safety. 

"We looked at the customer experience and other transit agencies that do have barricades and also spoke with their staff and looked at data and came to the conclusion that there was no additional impact on safety," Cooper said. 

In a presentation to the city's infrastructure and planning committee, administrators recommended that instead of turnstiles, more funding could help the system move to an integrated customer and safety service delivery model. 

Some didn't believe the report went far enough into detailing just how much it might cost to implement a closed transit system.

"You can't cost something that's not feasible," Cooper said in response. "There wasn't a technical solution the team could come up with at this time or within the scope of the study."

One of the big issues was integration to the Seventh Avenue free fare zone.  

Coun. Jennifer Wyness said recommendations are leading her colleagues to implement more of the same measures, instead of innovating a made-in-Calgary solution. 

"It's being sold as the solution, it's being sold as the fix, when we've already been funding the solution and it's not working," Wyness said, adding she's wary of daily headlines that people are being hurt.

Others around the committee table said the conversation is veering into social issues that Calgary Transit alone can't be expected to solve.

"We can spend hundreds of millions of dollars, potentially billions of dollars closing a system, but we're not really sure that that would work or solve anything," said Coun. Jasmine Mian. "That is not fiscal responsibility. 

"I also really struggle with the notion that all of a sudden this was supposed to get to the root causes of addictions and mental health. We know it's not. As a city, we primarily do the front-line enforcement, and that's what this is."

Coun. Dan McLean, who has been advocating for a closed system, said he may work with administration to bring forward a notice of motion to pilot a partially-closed system at strategic locations along the LRT line. 

Administration asked councillors to approve an increase to transit's base operational funding by $6.7 million annually when the budget comes up, with an ask to release $ 3.4 million immediately to begin hiring. 

That money would:  

• Fund transit public safety officers.
• Create permanent positions for the community outreach team.
• Fund positions as part of an LRT station continuous improvement program.
• Hire a video-analyst for better incident reporting.

A second one-time ask for $5.3 million would go toward: 

• Enhanced cleaning.
• Light improvements.
• Infrastructure improvements.
• Partner patrols aided by Calgary police, 7 nights a week. 

Director of Calgary Transit, Sharon Fleming, said this money would help the system ramp up in time for winter, when unhoused folks traditionally have sought out warmth and shelter on the transit system. 

"This funding addresses only the acute safety issue on our train system," Fleming said. "The larger issue is broader than that and it will require investment from all levels of government and from the city in order to achieve the objectives we're talking about."

These requests were both approved at the committee level but will need final approval from council.