<aside> 💡 Team members: Ellie Ahmed, Scott Vieira, Antoine Phan, Hamza Mumtaz
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There is an increasing rate of violence on Winnipeg public transportation, from bus driver attacks to bus stop robberies, which is hindering citizens from confidently using Winnipeg Transit. The president of the transit union in Winnipeg, Chris Scott, clearly explained the problem after an incident that occurred earlier in 2024, "without a safe transit system people can't get around, they won't board the bus and employees won't stay on the job” [1]. With the pressure to create more sustainable cities, developing an effective solution to encourage public transportation usage is crucial in reducing carbon emissions from private vehicles.
Increasing visibility is a preventative measure that can be implemented to reduce violent encounters related to public transit. A recent study that introduced high lumen streetlights to New York City public housing courtyards estimated a 45% decrease in nighttime index crime in the area [2]. Adding lighting to existing bus shelters and creating standalone lights at bus stops without shelters will make bus stops a less welcoming environment for crime and allow passengers to be more aware of their surroundings. Decreasing the opportunity for crime can help passengers to feel more safe using public transit, encouraging the population to confidently use this sustainable mode of transportation. These lights will also be solar powered, use LED bulbs, and timber utility poles to introduce another layer of sustainability to the design.
Since our team is not native to Winnipeg we have no first hand experience using Winnipeg Transit and our understanding of the public’s perception is limited to news articles and accounts of community experts. Our research has found that there is a common perception that Winnipeg transit can be dangerous and there is statistically an increase in crime however this might not be the biggest factor deterring the public from using the service. The proposed solution of introducing more lighting to reduce crime has worked in some areas however other studies have found that this has little effect [2][3]. For this reason a pilot program involving at least 10% of the city’s bus stops is recommended to establish a relationship between increased lighting and crime before the city invests in implementing this infrastructure at every stop.
Problem Statement
As the world continues to shift towards sustainable models for cities, public transportation becomes more important in reducing CO2 emissions. According to the American Public Transportation Association, the largest contributor to a household’s carbon footprint is their private vehicles, making up 55% [4]. Public transit is an existing option that the public can take to reduce their carbon footprint. Unfortunately, as seen in Figure 1, police reported transit crime has increased significantly over recent years in Winnipeg Manitoba, with the majority of incidents being violent [5]. This violence actively discourages citizens from using public transit as a sustainable transportation method, in favour of private vehicles that contribute much more significantly to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Finding solutions to decrease the violent incidents that occur on Winnipeg Transit is crucial in improving the public’s opinion of the service and increasing ridership, which in turn decreases the public’s need for private vehicles.
Figure 1 - Police reported transit crime in Winnipeg from 2017-2023.
An importance vs. influence chart of the key stakeholders is provided in Figure 2 and below they are discussed further.
