The key is
Sound Transit has cost $142 billion and druggies
and transients keep people from riding.

from
https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/dont-tolerate-flagrant-abuses-of-sound-transit-riders-safety/

Don’t tolerate flagrant abuses of Sound Transit riders’ safety
June 23, 2023 at 1:42 pm
A light-rail train waits at the Northgate Station in Seattle. (Ken
Lambert / The Seattle Times)

A light-rail train waits at the Northgate Station in Seattle. (Ken
Lambert / The Seattle Times)
By Nancy Belcher
Special to The Seattle Times

Imagine the scene: You’re on your way home from an exciting Mariners
game with your kids. But as you hustle into the busy Sound Transit train
with hundreds of other fans, a sudden wave of smoke fills the air. Amid
this enclosed shared public space, which you cannot exit until you reach
the next stop, one person decides it’s an appropriate time to light up a
fentanyl or meth pipe.

The smoke stink engulfs the confined space, leaving you and your loved
ones vulnerable and victimized by someone else’s drug addiction. There
is nothing you can do.

The smoker’s intimidating presence keeps everyone silent; no one dares
to approach him, and instead, makeshift masks fashioned from shirts and
face coverings become our feeble attempt to shield ourselves from the
smoke wafting through the train.

When the doors finally open at Northgate Station, you can take a breath!
Meanwhile, the offender casually departs, carrying his garbage bag of
belongings, still smoking his pipe without consequence.

This was my experience after a recent Mariners game. While my experience
was terrible, we all know that this alarming incident is not an isolated
case. It represents a broader issue that demands immediate attention:
safeguarding entry onto Sound Transit trains.

The most apparent solution is implementing turnstiles, a widely adopted
security measure in subway systems worldwide. But we are told that
installing a widely used safety measure (and a method of regularly
securing revenue for services) is too costly to implement.

Sound Transit’s full system expansion has cost $142 billion, and the
completion date has stretched to 2046. While cost presents a significant
obstacle to installing turnstiles, reinstating pre-COVID19 fare
enforcement measures is an immediate solution.

By re-establishing fare enforcement, we can significantly reduce these
adverse incidents on public transportation. The incident I witnessed
should be acknowledged as a severe infringement on the rights and safety
of passengers — an abuse that should not be tolerated. We must confront
the disturbing reality that travelers are forced to inhale someone
else’s drugs while riding crowded trains, risking their health and
well-being.

I implore the Sound Transit Board to prioritize the safety and security
of passengers by reconsidering the effectiveness of current safety
measures and fully exploring the benefits of reinstating fare
enforcement. The need to ensure passenger safety outweighs the financial
burdens.

By reinstating fare enforcement, Sound Transit can prevent fare evasion,
ensuring all individuals using the transit system pay for services.
Moreover, it would foster a sense of accountability, discourage
disruptive behavior and create an environment where passengers feel
secure and protected.

The time for action is now. Sound Transit must swiftly address the
safety concerns raised by incidents like the one I experienced.
Reinstating fare enforcement is a tangible and practical step toward
guaranteeing the well-being of passengers and cultivating an environment
where safety and security are paramount. Let us work together to create
a public transportation system that instills trust and confidence in
every commuter, ensuring their journey is efficient and free from fear
and exposure to smoke.

Nancy Belcher is a lifelong Seattle resident.
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View 7 Comments

I agree 1000%. Thank you for speaking up.
Access control and fare collection (i.e., turnstiles on light rail) are
an obvious necessity on a public transportation system. That would be
true under any circumstances, but it is doubly so in a city that can't
seem to bring itself to enforce laws against drug use.

Thank you, thank you, for saying this!!

"The smoker’s intimidating presence keeps everyone silent; no one dares
to approach him, and instead, makeshift masks fashioned from shirts and
face coverings become our feeble attempt to shield ourselves from the
smoke wafting through the train."
This is the problem. Just speak up for yourself. We shouldn't need to
spend millions of dollars on turnstiles or fare enforcement agents to
subsidize Seattleites' passivity.

Very well written!
Thank you for writing this. I share your concerns and have experienced
more of the same.
I can almost guarantee that your letter will have no impact.
The Dow Constantine Sound Transit Board Of Ignorance can’t even muster
enough interest to actually vote.
But it’s so cool that Claudia actually rides the train!!!
Why would you or anyone else catch their attention?
Their salaries alone are beyond unreasonable and they can’t even be
bothered to do their jobs.
TURNSTILES; What a novel concept.
Has anyone ever tried them before?
(Edited)

I work for King County MTD. Nothing is ever going to change because the
upper management is blowing sunshine up skirts. Promotions are going
through and persons are moving up, while the system they were put in
place to protect is being degraded point of inoperability. They are and
have made things worse by their do nothing no harm egalitarian
attitudes. This goes across the board in all phases of transportation.
Communist politicking has tied the hands of the ones charged w
enforcement of public policies protecting the citezenry. We need a
little more George Patton and a whole lot less of Neville Chamberlain
appeaseing of bad behavior and this starts w voting in persons who will
stand for the principles of what we espouse, instead of placating and
genuflecting to corporate agendas. This goes very deep into the American
psyche and is going be near impossible to unravel, but unravel it we must.

Yes, enforce no drug use laws on trains, buses, all public conveyances
and spaces. It’s really perverse that through policies of “compassion”
we find ourselves the prisoners of a few and the political leadership
only enables the few to do what they like without consequence, to the
detriment of the many who behave well in public. We need a combination
of coercion to enforce minimum standards, and offer help to those who
need it, but not allow degradation of public facilities and spaces. Vote
for those who understand these basic tenets of a high functioning
community. Enough is enough, every single day we who want just take
public transit in safety and low stress have to put up with those who
make that impossible. Strict enforcement, offer of treatment, mandatory
confinement for treatment if offense repeated. No exceptions. Yes to
fare enforcement, it’s just basic. Hire qualified and trained public
safety officers who ride the network, empower them to enforce the rules.

Fare enforcement not only on Sound Transit trains, but also on King
County Metro buses, particularly the Rapid Ride buses, which allow entry
at the rear doors. How many non-paying rides is Metro giving? And the
homeless take them as a shelter - example: during the morning rush hour,
a homeless (I presume, anyway) lay sleeping occupying a whole seat.
(Edited)
Please people,make a seen, call offenders out. The group presence will
help get this person off the train. I drive for KC Metro and can't do
anything without getting disciplined, but I have had passengers knock
the foil out of the offenders hand and then the group of passengers
becomes emboldened and scare the addict off the bus. I stop and open the
door and out he goes. No repercussion for the hero passenger. I have yet
to encounter an addict who is physically violent, the are easily
frightening. But it's the passengers who allow this to happen RIGHT NEXT
TO THEM, they should be ashamed and stop complaining. Do something.

It is time to take things into one's own hands. A fire on a train is a
dangerous thing. Enough water bottles dumped by enough people will get
the message across putting the fire out. If the subject get belligerent,
{using a new to me phrase from Elon Musk,) do a walrus on him. When the
train stops, help him from the train.

Well, only half the Board members showed up for their last meeting, so...

these pieces of filth should be ciled