Conversations around transit safety have prompted one Edmonton city councillor to revisit talks of installing fare gates at some LRT stations in the city.
Ward pihêsiwin Coun. Mike Elliott says fare gates could help with people’s perception of safer transit systems while also giving revenue a boost.
Fare gates have been discussed by prior councils before. Former city councillor Tim Cartmell explored the idea of a fare gate pilot project. It was ultimately shelved when administration came back with installation and attendant costs to flag fares totalled $7.2 million.
Elliott believes the city is in a better spot to at least take another look.
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“The difference I think potentially this time is back then we were still using paper copies for tickets,” Elliott said. “Today, it’s ARC cards only so we do not need attendants there all the time to monitor and let people in.”
Emily Stremel, chair for Edmonton Transit Riders, which advocates for accessible transit service, says frequent users of transit generally feel safe. She says the best way to make people feel safer is to get more people riding.
“People feel safer when there are more people around,” said Stremel. “It increases civility, it increases your feelings of safety, it increases actual safety. Making transit a more reliable solution for people I think is a better use of money than infrastructure.”
In a statement, Edmonton Transit Service’s Carrie Hotton-MacDonald says, “fare gates are difficult to implement in the Edmonton context due to a few factors, including design of the LRT system, station design, emergency egress requirements and capital and operating costs.”
Elliott believes it’s still a conversation worth having, although there is no formal motion in the works.
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