Calgary city council approved transit bylaw amendments that they say will help address ongoing safety concerns for commuters.

The changes to the transit bylaw were presented at the Oct. 29 regular meeting of council, and included measures to clarify the definition of and address loitering at transit stops, while addressing those who have purchased tickets but aren’t using transit as intended.

It also included a new offence for verbal harassment, threats or intimidation directed at riders, staff or operators. There’s also a new offence for making fake copies of tickets, and carrying a visible weapon on the transit system.

Transit peace officers can also now ask riders for proof of age, targeting older riders trying to ride using the City’s free fare benefit for commuters aged 12 and under. Penalties for offences also increased under the bylaw, with most at between $250 and $500.

There was little debate on the transit bylaw changes among councillors, and the item passed unanimously, along with the three readings of the amended bylaw.

Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong said this begins to address inconsistencies in the public behaviour bylaw and the transit bylaw. It was a particular issue around loitering, he said.

“The anomalies were concerned about the LRTs, safety on platforms downtown, as well as up on Lions Park. Particularly the concerns that most people had was, when is a person on a platform supposed to be on a platform, and if they’re on a platform, how do we ensure that they’re safe and secure?” Wong said.

“Those consistencies or inconsistencies between the transit bylaw and the public behaviour bylaw was where we found the root cause of some of the problems.”

Ticketing and fining not an effective deterrent: VCC executive director

Meaghon Reid, executive director of Vibrant Communities Calgary said she understands that safety and security are priorities on Calgary transit.

She said research shows, however, that it’s not effective in getting people to stop the behaviour.

“In listening to the conversations about how we all tackle this challenge of social disorder, I do not think that this is probably the best mechanism to enforce a behaviour that is fairly unenforceable if we don’t have other supports,” she said.

While the City of Calgary said that it’s a compassion-first approach, and the new rules may provide a new entry point for conversations, Reid said transit peace officers have been having those conversations for a long time already. She said transit peace officers have been on the front lines of the social disorder issue, and supported people who need help.

“I think the challenge is, when we layer this on to that people are pretty good at avoiding fines, particularly if they’re in poverty, a lot of these fines are about $250 and if you don’t have that, you’re going to try to avoid that conversation, probably.

“It might have an unintended consequence in that people are now avoiding that conversation and aren’t able to pay that fine anyway.”

Reid said ultimately, providing appropriate support – including housing – is a more effective way to deal with the social disorder.

Acting Chief of Public Vehicle Standards Marcia Gonder said that Calgarians will see the changes take effect right away. It will start with rider communication.

“The peace officers out there, and they’ll be communicating with individuals,” she said.

“They’ll be asking for proof of fare. They’ll be asking for individuals identifying with particularly if those individuals do not have proof of fare, what they’re doing on transit, and offering them resources to get the help that they need if they do identify that they need help in terms of mental health, addiction or homelessness.”

Gonder said officers have training to use discretion in dealing with vulnerable Calgarians, including applying unconscious bias. She said they’re taught to treat the behaviour, not the person.

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said she’s confident Calgary Transit peace officers will lead with compassion first.

“I have faith that the training and the compassion that exists within our officers will put us in a good place,” she said.