4 ms·

Part of the reason is that public transit for whatever reason appears to be unusually sketchy in many places in the US. For example, a few years ago, there was

by jfim 1y ago

Part of the reason is that public transit for whatever reason appears to be unusually sketchy in many places in the US. For example, a few years ago, there was an incident with a man with two chainsaws threatening passengers [1] in the local transit system. In contrast, the transit systems I've seen in Europe and Asia appear well maintained, clean, and relatively safe. Biking is also safer in European cities that have proper bike infrastructure. [1] https://www.newsweek.com/man-armed-chainsaw-threatens-bart-riders-says-ill-cut-your-freaking-head-1194182 https://www.newsweek.com/man-armed-chainsaw-threatens-bart-r...

h2zizzle 1y ago
? Japanese subways were infamously the site of a nerve gas attack in the 90s. 33 people were killed in mass knife attacks in Kunming, China in 2014. France has had a handful of subway and train attacks. However, the point is that these incidents, along with the BART one, are unusual. Avoiding public transit because of them would be like avoiding flying because of air accidents or avoiding going to a theater or musical event because of the various massacres that have happened at them over the years.
- horns4lyfe 1y ago
  That’s rare enough to not keep people away from public transport. Speaking from experience in Portland OR, it’s more the daily low level stress of having to keep an eye out for the meth crazed lunatics around you. There always seems to be one and they’re wildly unpredictable.
  - h2zizzle 1y ago
    That's another way of saying that we need more public investment (in addiction intervention programs, for one), not less.
- Tallain 1y ago
  BART crime is up over the past decade. People don't avoid BART because of that headline with the chainsaw man. They avoid it because of everyday crime and violence. I'm sure it's similar for many other metro transport options in the USA. California in particular has a rough go for many reasons. It doesn't even have to be something bad or happen to you. One "my buddy had his bike stolen off the light rail" and several people will be turned off of ever trying to use it.
  - h2zizzle 1y ago
    The "crime" story has been so twisted by propaganda and lies-by-statistics that you'll have to forgive me for saying that I can't take your word for it and will need numbers. Truthiness certainly can drive people to make poor, (unfounded) fear-based decisions.
ToucanLoucan 1y ago
> Part of the reason is that public transit for whatever reason appears to be unusually sketchy in many places in the US. Police and policing culture is heavily biased in the United States to the protection of property and the interests of capital, so it makes complete sense they wouldn't give a fuck about keeping public transit or spaces that aren't highly trafficked by the wealthy very well protected. Maybe a little tinfoil hat, but if you take that into account, I think it makes perfect sense.
dahart 1y ago
It’s funny how the one time it has ever happened that someone wielded a chainsaw on the subway it’s memorable news, and becomes evidence of a narrative that all of public transit is ‘sketchy’. That article’s from 7 years ago, and nobody got hurt and the guy was arrested. (BTW, I wonder why they used a photo from 2009?) In the mean time, the number of shooting deaths by private car drivers in the US has more than doubled since 2018, to more than 1 per day. That doesn’t count threats with other weapons, nor any other kind of road rage, nor does it count accidental crashes. There are more than 120 deaths per day in the US in cars (the vast majority of “private transit”), and more than 2 million ER visits by injured riders per year. And public transit is sketchy? Not compared to driving cars it isn’t.
- Chris2048 1y ago
  Fairly recently: https://nypost.com/2025/04/15/us-news/cause-of-death-still-a-mystery-after-autopsy-on-corpse-sexually-violated-on-nyc-subway-train-officials/ https://nypost.com/2025/04/15/us-news/cause-of-death-still-a... A man died while riding the train, one person robbed the corpse, then another had sex with it..
  - dahart 1y ago
    I heard about that one too, very unique and weird for sure! But we could go through the stories of each of the few hundred fatalities that happened on public transit last year, and it wouldn’t even be a blip compared to the tens of thousands of people killed in gruesome accidents in cars. Incidentally I still remember the description of Paul Walker’s death for kinda the same reason that subway chainsaws and necrophilia are so memorable… it was freaky.
    - Chris2048 1y ago
      Except that wasn't a fatality. How often do people get robbed while driving in the highway. For that matter, how many who came to harm on the highway were speeding vs random subway assaults.
      - 1y ago

by jfim 1y ago

h2zizzle 1y ago

? Japanese subways were infamously the site of a nerve gas attack in the 90s. 33 people were killed in mass knife attacks in Kunming, China in 2014. France has had a handful of subway and train attacks. However, the point is that these incidents, along with the BART one, are unusual. Avoiding public transit because of them would be like avoiding flying because of air accidents or avoiding going to a theater or musical event because of the various massacres that have happened at them over the years.

horns4lyfe 1y ago
That’s rare enough to not keep people away from public transport. Speaking from experience in Portland OR, it’s more the daily low level stress of having to keep an eye out for the meth crazed lunatics around you. There always seems to be one and they’re wildly unpredictable.
- h2zizzle 1y ago
  That's another way of saying that we need more public investment (in addiction intervention programs, for one), not less.
Tallain 1y ago
BART crime is up over the past decade. People don't avoid BART because of that headline with the chainsaw man. They avoid it because of everyday crime and violence. I'm sure it's similar for many other metro transport options in the USA. California in particular has a rough go for many reasons. It doesn't even have to be something bad or happen to you. One "my buddy had his bike stolen off the light rail" and several people will be turned off of ever trying to use it.
- h2zizzle 1y ago
  The "crime" story has been so twisted by propaganda and lies-by-statistics that you'll have to forgive me for saying that I can't take your word for it and will need numbers. Truthiness certainly can drive people to make poor, (unfounded) fear-based decisions.

ToucanLoucan 1y ago

> Part of the reason is that public transit for whatever reason appears to be unusually sketchy in many places in the US. Police and policing culture is heavily biased in the United States to the protection of property and the interests of capital, so it makes complete sense they wouldn't give a fuck about keeping public transit or spaces that aren't highly trafficked by the wealthy very well protected. Maybe a little tinfoil hat, but if you take that into account, I think it makes perfect sense.

dahart 1y ago

It’s funny how the one time it has ever happened that someone wielded a chainsaw on the subway it’s memorable news, and becomes evidence of a narrative that all of public transit is ‘sketchy’. That article’s from 7 years ago, and nobody got hurt and the guy was arrested. (BTW, I wonder why they used a photo from 2009?) In the mean time, the number of shooting deaths by private car drivers in the US has more than doubled since 2018, to more than 1 per day. That doesn’t count threats with other weapons, nor any other kind of road rage, nor does it count accidental crashes. There are more than 120 deaths per day in the US in cars (the vast majority of “private transit”), and more than 2 million ER visits by injured riders per year. And public transit is sketchy? Not compared to driving cars it isn’t.

Chris2048 1y ago
Fairly recently: https://nypost.com/2025/04/15/us-news/cause-of-death-still-a-mystery-after-autopsy-on-corpse-sexually-violated-on-nyc-subway-train-officials/ https://nypost.com/2025/04/15/us-news/cause-of-death-still-a... A man died while riding the train, one person robbed the corpse, then another had sex with it..
- dahart 1y ago
  I heard about that one too, very unique and weird for sure! But we could go through the stories of each of the few hundred fatalities that happened on public transit last year, and it wouldn’t even be a blip compared to the tens of thousands of people killed in gruesome accidents in cars. Incidentally I still remember the description of Paul Walker’s death for kinda the same reason that subway chainsaws and necrophilia are so memorable… it was freaky.
  - Chris2048 1y ago
    Except that wasn't a fatality. How often do people get robbed while driving in the highway. For that matter, how many who came to harm on the highway were speeding vs random subway assaults.
    - 1y ago