Public transit safety strategy approved by city council

Calgary city council approved a new public transit safety strategy on Tuesday that's meant to reduce crime on transit and repair public perception of safety while using the system.

Coun. Kourtney Penner said the strategy was "all-encompassing."

"We're [looking at] moving people towards services and shelter as much as we can, make sure that our stations are cleaned and [that] we have uniformed presence to provide a degree of certainty, but also respond to those people in crisis as well."

In a release, the city said that central to the plan is greater collaboration between transit peace officers and the Calgary Police Service, alongside other service providers like security guards and community outreach teams. 

One way this coordination is hoped to be achieved is through the creation of five safety hubs along the CTrain line, which transit peace officers and Calgary police will use to respond to emergency calls in a goal time of 10 minutes or less. 

The strategy also outlines increased numbers of transit peace officers patrolling the system, coordinated emergency calls through 911, and the improved cleaning of stations. 

"I think what we're hearing is loud and clear … that [Calgarians] have an expectation that we do something different, that there is an issue with safety in and around transit," said Aaron Coon, the city's chief of public vehicle standards. 

"That's where we've really formalized that relationship with the Calgary Police Service to say we will see success together."

In addition to increased enforcement, Coon said the strategy is focused on providing support to vulnerable individuals. 

"We know the transit facilities aren't designed to be a shelter … [the strategy's] wrap-around service allows us to connect people with the right resources at the right time."

Coon said three of the five new safety hubs will be operational by the end of this year, while the rest of the strategy will be implemented by the end of 2025. 

While the strategy itself has been approved, council still needs to agree to the $15-million dollar budget attached to the project during budget adjustments in November. 

Sharon Fleming, the director of public transit with the city of Calgary, said safety on transit has improved since last year, and ridership has also increased.

"These are signs that the actual users of our transit system are feeling comfortable and are using transit when they need to get somewhere. And that's a huge step in the right direction," said Fleming.

"There are always going to be issues on the system, but dealing with them quickly to avoid significant issues is the key."