I’ve been wrong many times in my life..this could just be another one of those times.

Signed,

Riff Raff

The one time I witnessed a problem with a passenger, he was a drunk asshole who was harassing his lady, and when she went and hid behind some other passengers, he turned his attention to another male passenger. The riders ganged up on the perp (verbally, not physically) and forced him off the train without his lady and called the police. I was proud of my fellow riders that day.

My biggest complaint about riders is that they leave their trash, mostly fast food containers. I am hesitant to point this out, but I personally notice teenagers are the worst offenders.

I ride almost every day at all hours.

I work with the homeless too, and don’t get a lot of negative comments about light rail. I also ride light rail and buses pretty often (several times a week) and they can get pretty crowded–commute hours, obviously, but I have been on evening trains on the weekend and there are people on the train then too. Generally it seems pretty safe to me.

Having security is important to people’s peace of mind, but it seems like a lot of people’s fears about public transportation are more perception than reality.

Like that guy who shot at a guy’s car, then got on light rail, then got arrested (last week.) Think about it: He shot at the guy who was in a car, putting the driver’s life in danger. On the light rail he stashed his shotgun and apparently didn’t bother anybody, and because he appeared on a video monitor he was caught BECAUSE HE GOT ON LIGHT RAIL. People’s responses to this incident? “Oh dear, light rail is totally dangerous, I’m staying in my car!” Even though it was the person in the car who was shot at–and if the perp hadn’t taken light rail he wouldn’t have been nabbed.

It was not I who suggested a cop on every car..that IS ridiculous.

In my “former life” here in Sac, I worked exclusively with the homeless. They were scared shitless to ride light rail. They were often robbed, teased, and sometimes beaten. I heard it over and over from a diverse population of moms, dads, kids, grandparents…and since they had to use light rail, they said they’d only do it before dark.

That’s what I am talking about and that is why I made the commment. When I used it in Portland, it was after a night baseball game, the cars were packed, and everyone seemed to be having a great time. That’s all.

Do you mean safety as in crashes and the like, or safety regarding other patrons? There’s a difference between being safe and being surrounded by people you likely would not invite over to your house for dinner (which kind of goes along with having a growing and diverse population.)

Portland also uses the same fare system as our light rail system, and I consider it pretty unlikely that they have police on every car.

So, I’d ask you, Melly: What makes Sacramento’s light-rail system different than Portland’s?

WTF!!!???

While in Portland, I’ve used their light rail system and it is wonderful. It is used by lots of people and it is safe, fast, and convenient..and it is eco-friendly.