To the editor: Making Metro safer is not rocket science. (“Mayor Bass orders police 'surge' on Metro bus and train routes amid surge in violence,” May 16)
As a frequent user of public transportation, I have seen police officers texting on their phones while crimes were literally happening nearby. I have seen people get on buses and threaten or hurt other passengers, then stay on the bus for miles with no response. The stations are dirty and the elevators and escalators are frequently out of service.
Here is my seven-point plan to fix the system:
- Require police to actively patrol buses and quickly train and remove unruly passengers.
- Create rapid response teams to wait at the next stop when a passenger engages in dangerous behavior.
- Turn on the lights. Many Metro stations are poorly lit and the lights do not work.
- Provide information about nearby homeless services at the entrances to each station. Make it clear that Metro is a public transportation system, not a homeless shelter.
- Repair elevators and escalators within 24 hours of their descent.
- Clean stations and trains throughout the day and provide more garbage containers for passengers.
- Require city leaders to ride Metro at least once a week so they can experience firsthand the system they want people to use.
Donald Flaherty Fajardo, Los Angeles
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To the editor: Crimes committed on Metro trains and buses fall outside the standard scope of murder, assault, robbery and vandalism. Crimes cause harm beyond the individual victims.
Traffic crimes delay operations, which can cause passengers to miss transfers and therefore be late for work, home or appointments.
Traffic crimes have driven away regular and potential users of public transport, causing the tax-funded network to underperform.
Traffic crimes have global implications if they keep people away from traveling on buses and trains. A key component in the fight against climate change is reducing our driving.
With such significant ripple effects, stricter sentences should be applied to these crimes to make clear their seriousness.
Matthew Hetz, Los Angeles
