6 ms·

On public transit, wouldn't you be unusually vulnerable to crime? Why would you want a service that isn't safe for you?

t3rmi 9y ago
Because he doesn't want to depend on someone to drive him around.
jdavis703 9y ago
Did you know that crime occurs on the roadways too? There is vehicular homicide, drive by shootings, auto burglary, and hit and runs. Being in a car does not magically protect you from crime.
tim333 9y ago
In terms of safety a lot of people die in car crashes, less so on trains and busses.
- dagw 9y ago
  Saftey in this case doesn't refer to the risk of dying in a crash, but rather the risk of being mugged/robbed or even just harassed.
  - majewsky 9y ago
    It's very convenient to exclude everything from the definition that doesn't support your argument.
    - dagw 9y ago
      What argument? If you want to change people's behaviour you have to focus on their perceived fears, not just the actual risks.
adrianN 9y ago
What an American comment to make. Public transit works in many cities perfectly well and you can use it without fearing for your life, or your wallet. Children in elementary school take public transit unattended.
- souprock 9y ago
  Well, I'm an American. I might feel differently if I were Japanese. Here, children are driven to school by their parents. When school ends, the parents are there waiting in their cars. Kids mostly don't even play outside anymore. Those of you thinking public transport is fine are likely at least a little bit physically imposing and/or you are in relatively fancy locations.
  - sampo 9y ago
    > Here, children are driven to school by their parents. When school ends, the parents are there waiting in their cars. Do parents get out of their work in the middle of the afternoon to drive their kids from school to home? Do they go back to work for the last couple hours after that? Or do kids have 8-hour schooldays?
    - souprock 9y ago
      I'm sure it varies by family. Some people have fully flexible time. Some people have a part-time job or two, so they simply don't agree to work shifts during the times they need to drive the kids around. Some people don't work, often because a single income is supporting a two-parent household.
      - watwut 9y ago
        Or they don't work, because the parent is expected to wait for the child in car, although the child is big enough to transport itself had there been reasonable public transport.
    - TrickyRick 9y ago
      It's called housewives, a concept abandoned by most of the modern world.
flukus 9y ago
If this is a significant risk then your society is severely broken and public transport is the least of your worries.
- craftyguy 9y ago
  Consider for a moment that the poster of that comment has severe confirmation biased.
cozzyd 9y ago
Hmm? I feel like carjackings are more likely to happen than random crimes on transit... I do suppose you might have to share space with poor people instead of ignoring them.
Qwertious 9y ago
On the footpath, wouldn't you be unusually vulnerable to crime? Why would you want a service that isn't safe for you? That is how your comment sounds to people who use public transport. It sounds ridiculous.
- souprock 9y ago
  Are you suggesting that a footpath is safe? My father got mugged at knifepoint on one. That is 100% not acceptable. It is a major reason why normal non-poor people encase themselves in cars. My father wasn't even blind. He was just slightly old, maybe 50 years old. At that age, he could no longer sprint away. The comment might sound ridiculous to the people who voluntarily use public transport, but your sampling bias is gigantic in that case.
  - majewsky 9y ago
    People are downvoting because you're missing the point. The unsafety of the situation is not because of the mode of transport, but because of America's failure to deal with crime. Here in Germany, crime rates have been declining pretty consistently [1], with homicides and robberies down from "low" to "very low". The thought of getting mugged on the street or on public transit is just absurd to me. I don't know anyone whom it happened to. It's something that happens on CSI, not in real life. [1] Except for internet-related fraud and Crystal Method abuse (since these are still pretty new), and stuff like unlawful border crossing (because of the refugee situation).
    - burfog 9y ago
      It isn't proper to ignore America's failure to deal with crime when you compare methods of transportation. Different modes of transportation provide different levels of protection from crime. This matters. You should be wary about trusting official crime statistics, particularly in Germany. There is an ongoing effort to censor this data. You face heavily filtered search engines, content removed from social media, and blocked news sites. (hint: claim to be non-German when you sign up) I hope you are able to view these links in your country: http://www.wnd.com/2015/12/germany-covering-up-crimes-committed-by-migrants/ http://www.wnd.com/2015/12/germany-covering-up-crimes-commit... https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7557/germany-rape-migrants-crisis https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7557/germany-rape-migrant... https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8663/germany-migrants-rape https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8663/germany-migrants-rap... http://www.wnd.com/2016/01/islamic-jihad-erupts-on-german-women/ http://www.wnd.com/2016/01/islamic-jihad-erupts-on-german-wo... http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35231046 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35231046
dundercoder 9y ago
If you’re referring to me being more of a target, my experience has been the opposite. I have found that I’m generally given a very wide berth when I have my white cane out. Often people hold doors for me too. I have a suspicion that most would-be criminals have a concept of karma and fear that robbing a blind person would bring lots of extra bad luck to their table.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- souprock 9y ago
  Yes, you seem like more of a target. It looks like you've decided the risk is worthwhile. I hope your luck holds. I think I'd be completely terrified. I found big cities scary even when I was a strong/fast 20-year-old male.
pjc50 9y ago
I don't think this should be dismissed entirely, as it's still a risk in Europe. Especially at night. Every now and again someone suggests women-only train carriages or some other gimmick in response: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41020179 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41020179 . Or Scotrail's occasional (more justified) alcohol-free trains. But during commuter hours, there isn't usually space for crime. And a real comparison of injuries per passenger mile would be instructive - cars aren't exactly safe either. I do think we should avoid painting public transport as a utopia when it also can have access issues. We should just recognise it as an equal option that can be more comfortable and faster than sitting in a traffic jam and cheaper than paying the real cost of parking (which is often subsidised or hidden in the US)
googletazer 9y ago
Incredible how HN groupthink downvotes you instead of addressing your perfectly valid concerns

Because he doesn't want to depend on someone to drive him around.

Did you know that crime occurs on the roadways too? There is vehicular homicide, drive by shootings, auto burglary, and hit and runs. Being in a car does not magically protect you from crime.

tim333 9y ago

In terms of safety a lot of people die in car crashes, less so on trains and busses.

dagw 9y ago
Saftey in this case doesn't refer to the risk of dying in a crash, but rather the risk of being mugged/robbed or even just harassed.
- majewsky 9y ago
  It's very convenient to exclude everything from the definition that doesn't support your argument.
  - dagw 9y ago
    What argument? If you want to change people's behaviour you have to focus on their perceived fears, not just the actual risks.

adrianN 9y ago

What an American comment to make. Public transit works in many cities perfectly well and you can use it without fearing for your life, or your wallet. Children in elementary school take public transit unattended.

souprock 9y ago
Well, I'm an American. I might feel differently if I were Japanese. Here, children are driven to school by their parents. When school ends, the parents are there waiting in their cars. Kids mostly don't even play outside anymore. Those of you thinking public transport is fine are likely at least a little bit physically imposing and/or you are in relatively fancy locations.
- sampo 9y ago
  > Here, children are driven to school by their parents. When school ends, the parents are there waiting in their cars. Do parents get out of their work in the middle of the afternoon to drive their kids from school to home? Do they go back to work for the last couple hours after that? Or do kids have 8-hour schooldays?
  - souprock 9y ago
    I'm sure it varies by family. Some people have fully flexible time. Some people have a part-time job or two, so they simply don't agree to work shifts during the times they need to drive the kids around. Some people don't work, often because a single income is supporting a two-parent household.
    - watwut 9y ago
      Or they don't work, because the parent is expected to wait for the child in car, although the child is big enough to transport itself had there been reasonable public transport.
  - TrickyRick 9y ago
    It's called housewives, a concept abandoned by most of the modern world.

flukus 9y ago

If this is a significant risk then your society is severely broken and public transport is the least of your worries.

craftyguy 9y ago
Consider for a moment that the poster of that comment has severe confirmation biased.

cozzyd 9y ago

Hmm? I feel like carjackings are more likely to happen than random crimes on transit... I do suppose you might have to share space with poor people instead of ignoring them.

Qwertious 9y ago

On the footpath, wouldn't you be unusually vulnerable to crime? Why would you want a service that isn't safe for you? That is how your comment sounds to people who use public transport. It sounds ridiculous.

souprock 9y ago
Are you suggesting that a footpath is safe? My father got mugged at knifepoint on one. That is 100% not acceptable. It is a major reason why normal non-poor people encase themselves in cars. My father wasn't even blind. He was just slightly old, maybe 50 years old. At that age, he could no longer sprint away. The comment might sound ridiculous to the people who voluntarily use public transport, but your sampling bias is gigantic in that case.
- majewsky 9y ago
  People are downvoting because you're missing the point. The unsafety of the situation is not because of the mode of transport, but because of America's failure to deal with crime. Here in Germany, crime rates have been declining pretty consistently [1], with homicides and robberies down from "low" to "very low". The thought of getting mugged on the street or on public transit is just absurd to me. I don't know anyone whom it happened to. It's something that happens on CSI, not in real life. [1] Except for internet-related fraud and Crystal Method abuse (since these are still pretty new), and stuff like unlawful border crossing (because of the refugee situation).
  - burfog 9y ago
    It isn't proper to ignore America's failure to deal with crime when you compare methods of transportation. Different modes of transportation provide different levels of protection from crime. This matters. You should be wary about trusting official crime statistics, particularly in Germany. There is an ongoing effort to censor this data. You face heavily filtered search engines, content removed from social media, and blocked news sites. (hint: claim to be non-German when you sign up) I hope you are able to view these links in your country: http://www.wnd.com/2015/12/germany-covering-up-crimes-committed-by-migrants/ http://www.wnd.com/2015/12/germany-covering-up-crimes-commit... https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7557/germany-rape-migrants-crisis https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7557/germany-rape-migrant... https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8663/germany-migrants-rape https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8663/germany-migrants-rap... http://www.wnd.com/2016/01/islamic-jihad-erupts-on-german-women/ http://www.wnd.com/2016/01/islamic-jihad-erupts-on-german-wo... http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35231046 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35231046

dundercoder 9y ago

If you’re referring to me being more of a target, my experience has been the opposite. I have found that I’m generally given a very wide berth when I have my white cane out. Often people hold doors for me too. I have a suspicion that most would-be criminals have a concept of karma and fear that robbing a blind person would bring lots of extra bad luck to their table.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
souprock 9y ago
Yes, you seem like more of a target. It looks like you've decided the risk is worthwhile. I hope your luck holds. I think I'd be completely terrified. I found big cities scary even when I was a strong/fast 20-year-old male.

pjc50 9y ago

I don't think this should be dismissed entirely, as it's still a risk in Europe. Especially at night. Every now and again someone suggests women-only train carriages or some other gimmick in response: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41020179 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41020179 . Or Scotrail's occasional (more justified) alcohol-free trains. But during commuter hours, there isn't usually space for crime. And a real comparison of injuries per passenger mile would be instructive - cars aren't exactly safe either. I do think we should avoid painting public transport as a utopia when it also can have access issues. We should just recognise it as an equal option that can be more comfortable and faster than sitting in a traffic jam and cheaper than paying the real cost of parking (which is often subsidised or hidden in the US)

googletazer 9y ago

Incredible how HN groupthink downvotes you instead of addressing your perfectly valid concerns