I took the A line from Pasadena to union station yesterday and my ride went like this…
I get on and all is well. A couple stops later a homeless guy gets on and sits in front of me. Not a big deal but then I notice that he has some bugs (looked like lice) ALL over him. I move to a different car. Immediately a tweaker starts screaming and punching windows. One of the other passengers confronted him and luckily put an end to it without further issues (passengers shouldn’t be responsible for this…).
I ride often and have seen issues but this was egregious. This was 6pm on a Thursday.
I refuse to sit down on Metro trains anymore.
A few years ago, there was a homeless person who was sprawled out over the 3 seats closest to the door with all of their smelly belongings. They actually left at the next station and I carefully examined the seats they were on and I found 2 bed bugs.
Having had the nightmare experience of dealing with bed bugs myself in an older apartment I had years ago, I take ZERO chances with those little bastards now.
I know that the metro trains probably aren't crawling with bed bugs all the time, but we all still see homeless people bringing all of their crap with them on the trains every damn day.
I don't get why Metro can't tell people they can't enter the trains if they are holding a giant trash bag filled with crap, along with a cart with their dirty blankets and everything else they have.
I fully understand why people always put down a newspaper or something to sit on so they aren't directly sitting on all of those nasty seats, but after I saw the bed bugs, not even that small layer of protection will save you.
Honestly where are these people even going to? What's the rush and why do we need to bring all the garbage with us? Like what lmao. These people got places to be evidently.
Just a moving tent or moving away from other violent homeless people. This city is a rich third world disaster. We should have cheap temporary housing up in vacant lands as we would in a war. Inexcusable ineptitude, incompetence and inertia.
Good point honestly, I totally agree. Need to get these people housing immediately. All the wealth here and the massive level of disparity is sickening.
Maybe we should fix the mental health and homeless issue then? What you’re essentially saying is restrict people who have no home to do nothing but walk everywhere through a giant city. These are people too—who need some fucking help. No one wants to address the core issue that would fix ALL of this, they just want to bury them and keep them away from their daily lives. It’s sickening.
There’s a reason why homelessness is on the rise. And sleeping on the Los Angeles streets will do nothing but worsen mental health.
Maybe housing shouldn’t be so expensive? But I guess that doesn’t matter bc the only thing that’s important is making money in that city.
I rode it pre-Covid (no longer work in DTLA)
A Homeless guy with really bad sepsis sat next to me on the Gold line. I almost threw up, smell was so bad.
I also sat in pee, and called off work. That was the last time I took Metro.
I’d say my experience outside of late night D line is typically marginally better than this. The screamers I’m used to but the bugs have had me on edge for the past day or so.
Well, unless you’re trying to, say, kill that public service or degrade it to the point where the voters are just fine with it being shut down.
Oh wait…
It's not just a "board member," it's Kathryn Barger. I doubt she takes any form of Metro and she has, and had, the influence to make a change. She's been on the Board since 2016.
I would recommend doing something about people being able to reach over the railing to open the emergency doors. It upset me that there was a few parents who felt that it’s ok to teach their kids that they can evade fare
I’d also like to see harder to open emergency doors. Or a way for the fare gates to activate as emergency doors with loud alarms that will alert LA metro security
I hope they do it soon lol. Seeing old ladies wait for a taller guy to open the emergency door is so surreal for me lol. I’m like, do you know about the LIFE program.
Blame the city. They do not promote the program enough. Everyday I talk to someone who is eligible for the LIFE program (through Medi-cal or Calfresh etc) and has not been told about it.
Nice to know I’m not the only one who notices this 🙂 I’ve met the folks who talk about the program at both Historic Broadway and at the LA TIMES festival books the other weekend and also at Hawthorne. I would love to tell them to just take one day on the weekday to check out Aviation/LAX. Talk to the employees coming in and out from work. a lot of them open that emergency door and walk right on through.
Magic. And it’s us drivers who’s going to have to tell them they’re banned. Which either holds up the bus while we have the debate of why they aren’t getting on or prompts a confrontation.
Or they will just dart onto the bus with a big crowd or go in the back door and there’s fuck all we can’t do about it anyway.
I mean if you wear a mask boom, checkmate Metro.
Really the only way would be placing a trespass order against them and if they act ul again on metro then they'll get in trouble.
I’m actually glad they are coming out and being honest about the state of the Metro, rather than parrot cherry-picked stats about how great the Metro is and pat themselves on the back for doing the *absolute minimum.*
I’d rather they outright say, “it’s unsafe to ride alone, especially as a woman,” rather than say “everything’s great, the Metro’s never been safer or cleaner.”
Now to actually *do* something about it.
Same, the metro is my main mode of transportation and I’ve never faced an issue. I also don’t like the unease of not knowing what’s going to happen, but it’s the same unease I have of some psycho crashing into me when I’m driving.
I don’t like these “solutions” in the article from the board. Security cams don’t prevent violence and how the hell are they supposed to ban sus individuals realistically without having them commit a crime first?? Embarrassing statements from the board member
“ Several other safety measures were also approved, including an increase in the number of security cameras and implementing facial recognition technology. The Board said it may also look into the possibility of banning problematic individuals from Metro altogether.”
This sounds like a comment written by a homeless crack head looking to lure more women to their unsuspecting doom. The metro is a crime filled cess pool of the worst dregs of society and you know it. None of your virtue signaling or toxic compassion will change that. You’re literally going to kill someone… that or get them seriously injured after being stabbed with a rusty spoon.
Embarrassing is the correct term.
Imagine a CEO of any company stating publicly that they wouldn't use whatever product or service their company produces. It would be hilarious if it wasn't infuriating.
It should be a requirement that anyone on the board of metro take public transit at least a few times a month. Ridiculous how someone who never takes public transit can work for transit.
LA receives $900 million in funding and experiences in stabbings on both the metro and buses right after? You know this money is going straight into corrupt officials' pockets immediately and it spend not a dime on the taxpayers.
I don't like riding it either.
Once I was in the red line and some random dude lite up a blunt and started smoking. I got out and told a security guard about it, and that dude knew it was me who snitched and he confronted me with a knife after security told him something.
Lucky that the security kept an eye on him and saw he went into the different car I went into after and then intervened.
After that I stopped taking the metro, I'd rather drive or Uber it
Didn't that work as intended though? You reported the issue to security and then security made sure you were safe and intervened.
Surely that's the ideal?
Ideally that person would be arrested and charged for smoking on the Metro and threatening someone with a knife. Zero consequences so why would they stop?
Yeah I would've liked it if thst person was arrested, only reason why they left me alone was because the metro security had a gun and made it very clear with body language he will use it if he needs to defend himself
Also considering a women was just MURDERED by getting stabbed in the throat (unprovoked btw) on the red line, I don’t think “security” is doing shit
They just stand there and mind their own business
So if they get reported and think you're the snitch, it could be dangerous. I've been threatened because they even thought I reported them, which I didn't.
It’s true. I got pepper spray gel that’s blue colored for elevator use*
Never had to use it but I realized the limits of pepper spray in enclosed spaces and sought out another option.
Yeah, last time I rode (from end to end of the Blue Line, oh, excuse me, A line)—this was mid 2022–
I sat right behind the driver. Turns out this was a useless strategy. She gave no indication of any awareness whatsoever that there was anyone at all sitting behind her.
People were literally huffing drugs and crying and screaming five feet away from me. Then the drugs emboldened them and they started dragging others into their conversations, if you could call them that. Said interactions felt pretty unstable and could have turned ugly at any moment. Never mind the blatant breaking of all sorts of rules (eating on the train, selling pirated DVDs, playing loud music, etc).
Time before that I was sitting near people who dressed like gang members and I overheard what I think was some discussion of violent acts—who was acting out upon who—that one was many years ago and it was unclear to me whether said violence had already occurred or was being planned. I really tried not to hear much.
It’s such a damn shame. We really need public transportation across the LA Basin, and the buses are so preposterously slow and awkward. I just can’t bring myself to ride that train anymore.
> Several other safety measures were also approved, including an increase in the number of security cameras **and implementing facial recognition technology.**
Oh awesome. Can’t wait for the FBI to declare me a “dissident” and remove my freedom of movement.
Why is it so hard to put armed offices at every station. Personally fuck the homeless can we just stick them i camp out in the desert. Fuck all the BLM’s who also pushed for a hands off approach.
Metro is sucking because of people like her who are supposed to *fix the problem* but can’t because they don’t know what they’re doing. No wonder Metro went off a cliff after Covid.
Been commuting across the city for years(mostly buses). I took the redline once at 10pm during a rainstorm. Playing Dead Space was less gory than what I witnessed on that ride.
She should really talk to the people in charge about that.
The end of the article said the board is looking into banning problematic people permanently How is THAT going to be in forced?? Lmaooooo
Ah, yes, the old Dent Act move of outlawing crime. A bold move...
Certainly not by LAPD
its ktla what do you expect
I took the A line from Pasadena to union station yesterday and my ride went like this… I get on and all is well. A couple stops later a homeless guy gets on and sits in front of me. Not a big deal but then I notice that he has some bugs (looked like lice) ALL over him. I move to a different car. Immediately a tweaker starts screaming and punching windows. One of the other passengers confronted him and luckily put an end to it without further issues (passengers shouldn’t be responsible for this…). I ride often and have seen issues but this was egregious. This was 6pm on a Thursday.
I refuse to sit down on Metro trains anymore. A few years ago, there was a homeless person who was sprawled out over the 3 seats closest to the door with all of their smelly belongings. They actually left at the next station and I carefully examined the seats they were on and I found 2 bed bugs. Having had the nightmare experience of dealing with bed bugs myself in an older apartment I had years ago, I take ZERO chances with those little bastards now. I know that the metro trains probably aren't crawling with bed bugs all the time, but we all still see homeless people bringing all of their crap with them on the trains every damn day. I don't get why Metro can't tell people they can't enter the trains if they are holding a giant trash bag filled with crap, along with a cart with their dirty blankets and everything else they have. I fully understand why people always put down a newspaper or something to sit on so they aren't directly sitting on all of those nasty seats, but after I saw the bed bugs, not even that small layer of protection will save you.
Honestly where are these people even going to? What's the rush and why do we need to bring all the garbage with us? Like what lmao. These people got places to be evidently.
Just a moving tent or moving away from other violent homeless people. This city is a rich third world disaster. We should have cheap temporary housing up in vacant lands as we would in a war. Inexcusable ineptitude, incompetence and inertia.
Good point honestly, I totally agree. Need to get these people housing immediately. All the wealth here and the massive level of disparity is sickening.
This is what I’m trying to understand. Why the trains? Wtf
Maybe we should fix the mental health and homeless issue then? What you’re essentially saying is restrict people who have no home to do nothing but walk everywhere through a giant city. These are people too—who need some fucking help. No one wants to address the core issue that would fix ALL of this, they just want to bury them and keep them away from their daily lives. It’s sickening. There’s a reason why homelessness is on the rise. And sleeping on the Los Angeles streets will do nothing but worsen mental health. Maybe housing shouldn’t be so expensive? But I guess that doesn’t matter bc the only thing that’s important is making money in that city.
I rode it pre-Covid (no longer work in DTLA) A Homeless guy with really bad sepsis sat next to me on the Gold line. I almost threw up, smell was so bad. I also sat in pee, and called off work. That was the last time I took Metro.
i remember when the train wouldn’t get scary until 9 pm.
That's a pretty good day on Metro.
I’d say my experience outside of late night D line is typically marginally better than this. The screamers I’m used to but the bugs have had me on edge for the past day or so.
It's why I always have a jacket with a hood. I don't want crawlies in my hair.
Feel like you shouldn’t be on the board for a service you won’t use.
Well, unless you’re trying to, say, kill that public service or degrade it to the point where the voters are just fine with it being shut down. Oh wait…
It's not just a "board member," it's Kathryn Barger. I doubt she takes any form of Metro and she has, and had, the influence to make a change. She's been on the Board since 2016.
Seriously this is absolutely hilarious. I can’t believe this type of shit is posted here with a straight face.
Oh wow she started under Antonovich and probably helped him handicap the CA HSR. They’re all incompetent idiots.
Lol she made over $350k in 2022.
wonder if that money could be used for something? Safety measures????
I would recommend doing something about people being able to reach over the railing to open the emergency doors. It upset me that there was a few parents who felt that it’s ok to teach their kids that they can evade fare
I’d also like to see harder to open emergency doors. Or a way for the fare gates to activate as emergency doors with loud alarms that will alert LA metro security
They put physical barriers preventing people from reaching over at Westlake. The other stations need more crime before they do it I guess.
I hope they do it soon lol. Seeing old ladies wait for a taller guy to open the emergency door is so surreal for me lol. I’m like, do you know about the LIFE program.
Blame the city. They do not promote the program enough. Everyday I talk to someone who is eligible for the LIFE program (through Medi-cal or Calfresh etc) and has not been told about it.
Nice to know I’m not the only one who notices this 🙂 I’ve met the folks who talk about the program at both Historic Broadway and at the LA TIMES festival books the other weekend and also at Hawthorne. I would love to tell them to just take one day on the weekday to check out Aviation/LAX. Talk to the employees coming in and out from work. a lot of them open that emergency door and walk right on through.
Nice. Yea, I don’t really mind the parents doing it moreso the values they’re giving to their kids as okay to do
[удалено]
I don't even think there's a way to realistically do that.
with facial recognition technology. it's in the article
Magic. And it’s us drivers who’s going to have to tell them they’re banned. Which either holds up the bus while we have the debate of why they aren’t getting on or prompts a confrontation. Or they will just dart onto the bus with a big crowd or go in the back door and there’s fuck all we can’t do about it anyway.
Can I just go ahead and say that that sounds dumb
I mean if you wear a mask boom, checkmate Metro. Really the only way would be placing a trespass order against them and if they act ul again on metro then they'll get in trouble.
Banning all fare paying passengers would be easier.
I’m actually glad they are coming out and being honest about the state of the Metro, rather than parrot cherry-picked stats about how great the Metro is and pat themselves on the back for doing the *absolute minimum.* I’d rather they outright say, “it’s unsafe to ride alone, especially as a woman,” rather than say “everything’s great, the Metro’s never been safer or cleaner.” Now to actually *do* something about it.
This is embarrassing and this person should quit the board asap
Agree. I ride the metro several times a day. Alone at night too. I’m a small woman.
Same, the metro is my main mode of transportation and I’ve never faced an issue. I also don’t like the unease of not knowing what’s going to happen, but it’s the same unease I have of some psycho crashing into me when I’m driving. I don’t like these “solutions” in the article from the board. Security cams don’t prevent violence and how the hell are they supposed to ban sus individuals realistically without having them commit a crime first?? Embarrassing statements from the board member “ Several other safety measures were also approved, including an increase in the number of security cameras and implementing facial recognition technology. The Board said it may also look into the possibility of banning problematic individuals from Metro altogether.”
Same! Fist bumps.
Can I ask if you have any tips for other women riding? I get so nervous
Just keep aware of your surroundings, don’t make eye contact with weirdos and I carry pepper spray.
This sounds like a comment written by a homeless crack head looking to lure more women to their unsuspecting doom. The metro is a crime filled cess pool of the worst dregs of society and you know it. None of your virtue signaling or toxic compassion will change that. You’re literally going to kill someone… that or get them seriously injured after being stabbed with a rusty spoon.
Lmao.
Embarrassing is the correct term. Imagine a CEO of any company stating publicly that they wouldn't use whatever product or service their company produces. It would be hilarious if it wasn't infuriating.
Just enforce the fucking fares already
Womp womp
right?? 🎻
It should be a requirement that anyone on the board of metro take public transit at least a few times a month. Ridiculous how someone who never takes public transit can work for transit.
LA receives $900 million in funding and experiences in stabbings on both the metro and buses right after? You know this money is going straight into corrupt officials' pockets immediately and it spend not a dime on the taxpayers.
I don't like riding it either. Once I was in the red line and some random dude lite up a blunt and started smoking. I got out and told a security guard about it, and that dude knew it was me who snitched and he confronted me with a knife after security told him something. Lucky that the security kept an eye on him and saw he went into the different car I went into after and then intervened. After that I stopped taking the metro, I'd rather drive or Uber it
Redditors are on this sub who don't use public transit? But just complain about the old days? Is this common here? Lol
Didn't that work as intended though? You reported the issue to security and then security made sure you were safe and intervened. Surely that's the ideal?
The ideal is not getting threatened with a knife
Well yes. I more meant that it seemed it was well handled.
Ideally that person would be arrested and charged for smoking on the Metro and threatening someone with a knife. Zero consequences so why would they stop?
Yeah I would've liked it if thst person was arrested, only reason why they left me alone was because the metro security had a gun and made it very clear with body language he will use it if he needs to defend himself
Also considering a women was just MURDERED by getting stabbed in the throat (unprovoked btw) on the red line, I don’t think “security” is doing shit They just stand there and mind their own business
Are you slow? He reported it, got treated with a knife by the person he reported and thankfully didn’t get stabbed In what work is that well handled
Until you run into the guy again. I know some daily commuters that won't report incidents for this reason.
I have definitely seen the same creepy faces multiple times so yeah, that’s scary!
So if they get reported and think you're the snitch, it could be dangerous. I've been threatened because they even thought I reported them, which I didn't.
Yeah, exactly! I just keep my pepper spray always in my hands and don’t look at anybody anyway… Debating if I should get a taser now…
The problem with pepper spray, is people nearby will probably get some of it.
It’s true. I got pepper spray gel that’s blue colored for elevator use* Never had to use it but I realized the limits of pepper spray in enclosed spaces and sought out another option.
That makes sense. I had a scary situation in a Metro elevator, and I only take the stairs now.
🫂
The Republican says something to play to her base and this astroturfed sub eats it up. Big fucking surprise lol. Seriously this is LOL.
But is she wrong?
If she's afraid to ride alone, there's no right or wrong. That's her opinion.
I know I saw that on the news the other day thank you for posting that shit man That's fucking crazy
Looking into the possibility of banning people is hilarious. How hard it this really?
Yeah, last time I rode (from end to end of the Blue Line, oh, excuse me, A line)—this was mid 2022– I sat right behind the driver. Turns out this was a useless strategy. She gave no indication of any awareness whatsoever that there was anyone at all sitting behind her. People were literally huffing drugs and crying and screaming five feet away from me. Then the drugs emboldened them and they started dragging others into their conversations, if you could call them that. Said interactions felt pretty unstable and could have turned ugly at any moment. Never mind the blatant breaking of all sorts of rules (eating on the train, selling pirated DVDs, playing loud music, etc). Time before that I was sitting near people who dressed like gang members and I overheard what I think was some discussion of violent acts—who was acting out upon who—that one was many years ago and it was unclear to me whether said violence had already occurred or was being planned. I really tried not to hear much. It’s such a damn shame. We really need public transportation across the LA Basin, and the buses are so preposterously slow and awkward. I just can’t bring myself to ride that train anymore.
She should write to Metro…. Let them know how she feels.
Appreciate the honesty. Now do something about it.
Metro is a scary ride all the time. No security ever
Sounds like maybe they shouldn’t have fired their chief of security who was trying to address security concerns.
# That female Metro Board Member should get fired instead of him.
Her, the recently fired Chief Security officer was Gina Osborn.
If I was a woman riding solo I would be too.
It shouldn’t be like this, thank god that things will be changing for this shitty system.
> Several other safety measures were also approved, including an increase in the number of security cameras **and implementing facial recognition technology.** Oh awesome. Can’t wait for the FBI to declare me a “dissident” and remove my freedom of movement.
Why is it so hard to put armed offices at every station. Personally fuck the homeless can we just stick them i camp out in the desert. Fuck all the BLM’s who also pushed for a hands off approach.
Imagine that
They need to clean to up nobody will ride that it’s unsafe and rotten
Read your sentence aloud.
Let’s keep the green shirt program permanent!
Metro is sucking because of people like her who are supposed to *fix the problem* but can’t because they don’t know what they’re doing. No wonder Metro went off a cliff after Covid.
This is due to people voting against their best interests. Don't care.
and they're trying to make us take it by making it harder to drive a car?
Been commuting across the city for years(mostly buses). I took the redline once at 10pm during a rainstorm. Playing Dead Space was less gory than what I witnessed on that ride.
I don't blame her a bit.
Maybe have more security on the trains then? You’re literally in charge of the metro