Opinion: Riders Should Feel Safe on the Train, Actually

By Dewell Robinson

​As a member of the Summit-University Planning Council who also lives in the
community, I often talk with my fellow Rondo residents about local issues. It should be to no
surprise, then, that when conversations about improvements begin, the first issue mentioned is almost always about the state of our Light Rail, and how unsafe people feel using it.

To speak candidly for a moment; I had never known the smell of meth until I started
using the Light Rail to commute in autumn of 2022. The experience is one I am not soon to
forget. This, along with numerous other, even more hazardous and unpleasant experiences, are unfortunately, universal for our carless and emission-conscious residents. Of course, this would be unacceptable for any neighborhood, but especially for one as dependent on public
transportation as ours; up to 20.8% of residents don’t own a car at all.

Obviously, the associated parties are aware of this issue. Metro “TRIP” (Transit Rider
Investment Program) agents have recently been deployed on our Light Rail within the last week. These new agents are there to de-escalate violence, ensure passengers are paying fares and refraining from drug use in the trains, and providing first aid and Narcan to those who need it. I am very grateful that these improvements are being implemented, and I hope they make our Light Rail a safer, more comfortable place to be. Even still, I suspect we can look deeper. There are systemic issues that created these unsafe circumstances in the first place, and I have hope that, if our residents will use their voices to continue to speak out on issues affecting our neighborhood, then those systems can be dismantled.

And maybe someday, Rondo riders will feel safe on the public transport they use
everyday.

Bibliography

https://www.minnpost.com/metro/2024/02/will-trip-agents-and-eliminating-the-party-car-make-m
etro-transits-light-rail-safer/
https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/mn/st-paul/summit-university
https://streets.mn/2022/07/01/its-not-equitable-to-protect-cars-on-summit-avenue/