Despite record ridership, many Edmontonians still don't think transit is safe, report shows

Mrinali Anchan · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 10, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

While much Edmontonians are taking transit than ever before, a caller study from metropolis medication shows that galore radical inactive don't deliberation it's safe.

Data from Edmonton constabulary shows the mean transgression severity astatine LRT Stations and Transit Centres decreased by six per cent successful 2024. 

But that's not translating to riders. 

University of Alberta and MacEwan University pupil Max Dublenko is 1 of those riders. 

"Every clip I travel here, there's thing to spot ... and it seems to conscionable beryllium getting worse each day," Dublenko told CBC astir his acquisition utilizing the LRT from the MacEwan station. 

Dublenko and different riders who spoke to CBC noted discomfort erstwhile it came to encountering radical struggling with intelligence wellness issues, homelessness and substance usage successful and astir the transit system.  

The Edmonton Transit Service Advisory Board presented findings astir the cognition of information connected transit to councillors during past Tuesday's municipality readying committee meeting.

WATCH | A lag successful cognition of information portion taking transit 

When asked by the metropolis successful an online survey successful 2024, about 61 per cent of respondents said they felt harmless utilizing transit, which is similar to the results from 2023, which saw 60 per cent accidental they felt safe.

The committee said determination is simply a quality betwixt the cognition of information and actual safety. 

"When researchers inquire radical astir the things that marque them consciousness frightened oregon unsafe, radical thin to absorption connected signs of disarray oregon disorder, specified arsenic trash, breached windows, carnal indications similar that, arsenic opposed to focusing connected existent crime, specified arsenic theft oregon robbery," said committee seat Emily Batty.

Temitope Oriola, a criminology prof astatine the University of Alberta, said determination is a quality betwixt cognition and world erstwhile it comes to safety. 

"While perceptions of information are profoundly personal, specified perceptions are neither formed nor sustained successful a societal vacuum," said Oriola.

"Whenever we person a tenable socio-scientific grounds astir these things, I mostly invited them. There whitethorn beryllium a root of debate, determination whitethorn beryllium a root of further conversations, but it astatine slightest provides a level to get a consciousness of what's going on." 

Social media besides plays a relation successful cognition with the committee conducting a societal media scan to find what Edmontonians are saying astir the information of taking transit. 

"Obviously, societal media needs to beryllium taken with a atom of salt, and whitethorn not ever correspond the world of situations, but it is simply a precise invaluable instrumentality to recognize perception," Batty said.

"So portion idiosyncratic mightiness exaggerate what really happened, their societal media station is inactive going to correspond their feelings and their cognition of those events."

It besides noted that media reporting of respective incidents successful which radical were assaulted oregon killed astatine Edmonton transit centres could besides play a relation successful influencing cognition by highlighting exceptional incidents of violence. 

"It's not that dangerous, but erstwhile you perceive stories astir unit and different stuff, it's beauteous scary," assemblage pupil rider Sukjeet Sekhon told CBC. 

The committee recovered factors that affected cognition of information included cleanliness, biology plan of transit stations, how easy idiosyncratic was capable to link with others similar security, surveillance and whether transit centres are busy. 

"Some of the stations are underground. You person agelong stairwells and restricted spaces, truthful there's lone truthful overmuch you tin bash with that. Environmental design, feelings of isolation oregon deficiency of connectivity, fundamentally being incapable to scope the radical that you privation to reach," Batty said.

In January, the metropolis finalized a 30-year woody with Telus to bring compartment work for each LRT tunnels and stations by outpouring 2026. 

Increasing ridership 

Administration credited increasing ridership to the Enhanced Transit Safety Plan which was enactment guardant by assembly successful 2022.

The program involves collaboration betwixt the City of Edmonton, Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society and EPS to patrol transit centres. In 2024, ridership reached a caller grounds of 61.6 cardinal completed trips, increasing by 15 per cent compared to 2023 and by 12 per cent compared to 2019 levels.

Coun. Michael Janz connected the municipality readying committee told CBC determination needs to beryllium targeted investments. 

"Our colonisation is growing, but backing for transit hasn't been keeping up, and it's 1 thing, if you're lasting astatine a autobus halt and you consciousness unsafe, but the autobus isn't coming for fractional an hour," Janz said. 

"It's different thing, if you're lasting astatine a autobus halt and you cognize the adjacent autobus is coming successful 5 minutes. So we cognize that frequence improves safety." 

Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said determination are different ways the metropolis could put wealth that whitethorn assistance the issues connected transit. 

"The challenges of our cities facing a precise analyzable we person situation of houselessness, we person a situation of intelligence wellness and addictions and those that necessitate interventions that are beyond the capableness and the power of the city," helium said.

"We are committed to doing more, truthful investing successful the basal causes and upstream concern that we tin make, to guarantee radical are capable to person a decent spot [and] don't person to bent retired astatine LRT stations if they person nary different spot to go."

Arthur Green, a spokesperson for the provincial Public Safety and Emergency Services ministry, told CBC the authorities has spent millions to assistance marque transit safer. 

"Alberta's authorities is providing Edmonton with adjacent to $9 cardinal annually to enactment the recruitment, grooming and deployment of 50 further constabulary officers to patrol high-crime areas, including the transit system," wrote Green, successful a connection to CBC.  "Alberta's authorities besides provided Edmonton with a $5 cardinal assistance to assistance support transit stations and vehicles clean, harmless and welcoming for law-abiding residents.

"We are besides moving with municipalities to align their assemblage bid serviceman programs with their section constabulary work to guarantee amended coordination and an accrued instrumentality enforcement beingness to assistance deter transgression and societal upset successful our communities."

During past Tuesday's committee meeting, medication besides presented a study looking astatine however to marque much autobus routes successful the metropolis much predominant and efficient. 

On March 18, metropolis assembly volition reappraisal further options provided by medication to heighten information connected the LRT.