Calgary Transit Safety Perceptions Improve; night riding still worries citizens

City of Calgary residents' perception of transit safety improved from May 2023 to November 2023, despite survey results released by the City of Calgary showing overall perception of safety in the city has lagged behind previous years.

The survey of 500 Calgarians, who were randomly selected from November 13-23, 2023, found that the majority of survey respondents felt safe riding a Calgary Transit bus during the day – 82% versus 78% in the May survey. People felt safer riding the CTrain (72 percent), up from 67 percent in May.

The numbers also improved at night, with 39% saying it was safe to ride the CTrain alone at night, compared to 33% last May.

In November, compared to May, respondents felt safer waiting at a CTrain station or bus stop, both day and night.

Personal security concerns are a concern for 80 percent of survey respondents, up from 81 percent in May 2023 and 76 percent in 2022.

“Calgarians want and deserve the best and safest experience using our transit system, whether on the LRT, buses or shuttles,” said Kay Choi, Chief of Public Safety and Welfare for the City of Calgary.

“I'm encouraged to see that we've been able to move the needle safely, and I know there's still a long way to go to help Calgarians feel safer on and around CTrains.”

7th District. Terry Wong said he believes the city is making progress in transit safety. He said the big question is whether the desired results have been achieved.

“Is public perception of transit safety true?” Wong asked.

“People still see rampant public disorder and drug use in and around LRT stations, but they see more safety and security officers on LRT transit lines.”

Investments will pay off: Mayor Gondek

Going back to last year, the City of Calgary spent millions to improve transit and safety around it. Last June, they authorized an additional $8.7 million to hire 39 more peace officers.

The most recent budget added $15 million in additional annual funding to help with transit and public safety.

“With an annual investment of $15 million, the council has seen progress in improving transit safety,” said Mayor Jyoti Gondek.

“Together with our community and law enforcement partners, we will continue to work together to address safety challenges in our growing city.”

The City of Calgary also reported a decrease in incidents of social disorder on CTtrains. According to them, between October 1, 2023 and December 15, 2023, there were 3,450 incidents of disorder such as fighting, swearing, open drug use and overdoses. This compares to 4,146 in the same period in 2022.

“It's because of the coordinated winter community response with our partners, like the Calgary Homeless Foundation and the Calgary Police Service,” said Choi.

“Collections at transit stations are down about 56 percent this winter from last winter, even with the very cold weather we just experienced.”

Still, Con. Wong said this is an ongoing problem that needs to be addressed. Taking security especially at night. Wong said Calgary police are pulling in multiple directions and they need resources for peak times while maintaining base coverage in all neighborhoods.

“Transit safety is a duty of continuous improvement,” he said.

“Therefore, additional investments still need to be made.”