[PRCo] Re: Fwd: Vancouver news

[Fred Schneider]

Problems tend to be cultural in nature.   Fare evasion was very low  
in eastern Europe under communism because the culture expected you to  
turn in your mother for evading a fare.   Once the developed a  
democracy the public began to think anything was fair game.    
Example, parents used to have quiet time for a nap after lunch before  
going back to work.   After communism ended, the parents began to  
complain that their little brats told them, "You can't tell me what  
to do.   This is a democracy now."   The kids would now make all the  
noise they wanted to make.

The problems are not necessarily the same in all nations.   Drug  
cultures are very strong in the U. S., Holland, Britain but not  
necessarily so in all European countries.

Just like one would not think of not think of walking into a store in  
France and not saying hello or good evening.   It is simply good  
manners.   It's part of the culture.   Same thing happens in rural  
Austria.   If you walk into a hotel dining room in a small town in  
Austria, you say hello to everyone.  It's a manners thing ... part of  
the culture.   It's like a motorman wearing white gloves in Japan.   
Doesn't say they're right and we're wrong or vice versa.  It's just  
their way of doing things.

On Nov 10, 2007, at 7:35 PM, James B. Holland wrote:

> Chances are Extremely High that when One identifies a problem at home
> the same problem will be found elsewhere in the world.  Was it in
> SwizzleLand or Austria where a Public Needle Exchange program brought
> decay and assoc problems of crime etc. to the heart of a major city
> before the program was abandoned?  Fare evasion in Many // Most USA
> cities also in Canada and Most Probably much of EuroLand and Elsewhere
> as well.
>
>
>
>
>
> --- In LRPPro at yaho.com, "Frank S. Miklos" <miklosfrank at ...> wrote:
>
> From today's Vancouver Province.
>
>      Saturday » November 10 » 2007
>
>       Crackdown on transit crime
>       Transportation minister plans transit security measures to deter
> cheaters
>
>             John Bermingham, With a file by John Colebourn
>             The Province
>
>
>       Friday, November 09, 2007
>
>
>
>                   CREDIT: Ric Ernst - The Province
>                   Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon wants to
> install electronic turnstiles and prosecute cheaters criminally as
> part of a sweeping plan to make SkyTrain safer.
>
>       The B.C. government wants to take the crime train out of  
> SkyTrain.
>
>       Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon unveiled ideas yesterday to
> radically overhaul the transit system to make it a safer ride -- and
> to stop fare evaders in their tracks.
>
>       His sweeping plans include:
>
>       - Installing electronic turnstiles at every SkyTrain and Canada
> Line station before the 2010 Olympics, along with more closed-circuit
> cameras.
>
>       - Launching a smart-card system to be used on trains and buses,
> which can be recharged at vending machines or on the Internet.
>
>       - Pursuing fare evaders with criminal prosecutions and
> on-the-spot fines.
>
>       - Boosting security outside SkyTrain stations.
>
>       - Improving safety for bus drivers.
>
>       Falcon said he was impressed by the London Underground and the
> Dutch Metro system in Rotterdam during a trip to Europe in September.
>
>       After talking with senior security officials in London, he
> became convinced SkyTrain needs to install turnstiles and more
> closed-circuit TV.
>
>       "The personal safety of commuters improves dramatically in a
> closed system," he told The Province.
>
>       "Women, in particular, feel safer and are safer. It's a
> controlled area and criminals generally stay out."
>
>       Falcon said turnstiles weed out the hang-arounds and reduce the
> chance of an act of terrorism.
>
>       The head of the Dutch transit system told Falcon that prior to
> installing its gated system, 60 per cent of all violence and assaults
> were caused by people who didn't pay fares.
>
>       After the turnstiles went in, fare evasion fell from 20 per cent
> to two per cent and ridership rose by almost 30 per cent.
>
>       Turnstiles have been priced at $100 million plus, but Falcon
> hopes to find a private partner to build and operate the system on a
> revenue-sharing basis.
>
>       A smart-card system would allow passengers to pay as they go by
> touching their card on an electronic reader. The card automatically
> debits the fare and can be topped up at stations or on the Internet.
>
>       "It's very easy to use," said Falcon. "It actually grows your
> ridership dramatically. It's really convenient."
>
>       Falcon called current fare-evasion enforcement in B.C. "a joke,"
> with evaders giving bogus names and refusing to pay $173 fines.
>
>       Transit cops in London criminally charge evaders if they give
> wrong names and levy on-the-spot fines. Falcon wants a similar system
> here.
>
>       "Your fare-evasion figures drop to single figures overnight," he
> said. "The fact is, it's too easy for people not to pay today. It has
> a corrosive effect on the honest people."
>
>       Fare-evaders cost TransLink up to $7 million a year.
>
>       Falcon said he's also relying on municipalities to increase
> police presence around SkyTrain stations.
>
>       TransLink chairman Malcolm Brodie welcomed the turnstiles,
> smart-card system and toughening the fare-evasion regimen.
>
>       "I believe it's a matter of safety and security," he said. "And
> the perception and the reality of security will increase with the
> gated system."
>
>       Brodie said smart cards are "inevitable."
>
>       "Not only will the smart-card system support the turnstile
> system, I believe it will result in greater fare collection, and it
> will result in greater convenience to the public."
>
>       Meanwhile, commuters at the Waterfront SkyTrain station
> yesterday said the proposals make sense.
>
>       "I think turnstiles are a good idea," said SkyTrain rider Sharon
> Farrar, 50, of Port Coquitlam.
>
>       "Too many people are getting a free ride," she added.
>
>       Farrar also said more security cameras and more transit cops are
> welcome.
>
>       "There's no problem with more security if you aren't doing
> anything wrong," she said.
>
>       Jason Beck, 26, uses the SkyTrain regularly and wonders if fare
> cheats will be stopped by turnstiles.
>
>       "I think a lot of people will jump over the turnstiles," he  
> said.
>
>       And he said he has more safety concerns when on buses.
>
>       "I think buses are worse than SkyTrains," he said.
>
>       "The stations are secure and most of the attacks are happening
> outside of the SkyTrain stations," he pointed out.
>
>       Summerland resident Krista Plomish, 35, in Vancouver on
> business, said she prefers to use the SkyTrain rather than her car.
>
>       She likes the system but knows ugly incidents happen.
>
>       "I have concerns about taking the SkyTrain at certain hours.
> More security is a good idea."
>
>       Falcon said he doesn't know the final cost of the security
> measures but will make sure TransLink gets the money to pull it off.
>
>       - Falcon also said he is thinking of starting random checks of
> vehicles and passengers prior to boarding B.C. Ferries to thwart
> terrorists.
>
>       "You can't check every vehicle and car," he said. "But there are
> random checks that could be undertaken. There are different ways you
> could approach it, that create real nervousness amongst people that
> have nefarious intentions."
>
>       jbermingham at ...
>
>       © The Vancouver Province 2007
>
> --- End forwarded message ---
>
>
>
>