April 13, 2011 | 7 Comments

It’s Not the Mode, It’s The Behavior: Addressing Problems in the Delmar Loop

Metro, along with other business and residents in the Delmar Loop neighborhood, are working with law enforcement and elected officials to deter incidents of illegal or disruptive behavior like those that occurred last weekend. It is important that this vibrant area continues to attract residents and visitors to its many great assets.

Some people have expressed an opinion that public transit is the reason for the recent problems. But the problem is not the mode of travel.  Whether people who engage in unlawful behavior arrive by foot, car or public transit, the problem that needs a solution is the behavior. We have an opportunity, as a community, to come together to focus on real solutions to this problem.

What role does Metro play? Metro Security, including St. Louis City and St. Louis County police officers hired by Metro, will continue to patrol Metro property and check to make sure passengers are paying proper fares while providing safe and reliable public transit access for the residents, customers and employees who shop, eat and work in the Loop neighborhoods.

As a neighbor and business in the Loop, Metro will continue to work with community partners, and focus on our mission to meet the region’s transit needs by providing safe, reliable, and accessible service for everyone.

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Author:Courtney

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  • robert

    “Some people have expressed an opinion that public transit is the reason for the recent problems”

    i call these people stupid republicans

  • Patrick Richmond

    You are telling us the truth! Those lying psychics are the ones that are spreading the lies about public transportation. Yes there are naughty people that ride the bus and there are law abiding citizens that ride the bus. There used to be a time when the bus driver was permitted to close the door on anybody that they didn’t feel comfortable with. But now days, it’s illegal to let the drivers deny transportation to anybody they want. They are not permitted to pass anybody up that is standing at a bus stop unless they are told differently by their supervisor.

  • mike

    Tanesha H. and RTBones,

    Talk about “irony of fate”

    It looks like the issue we discussed, Metro’s code of conduct policy, is about to be dealt with and hopefully become more strictly enforced. This is a welcome piece of information to pass along to the public, knowing that Metro will start working more closely with various law enforcements, as well as the community as a whole, to deter disruptive behavior, and also deal with and punish individuals who want to deal in unruly behavior on Metro’s property and it’s adjoining community. This information should provide some comfort to those who ride Metro.

    It’s unfortunate that it took an incident like the one that occurred at the Delmar Loop over the weekend, to really get the ball rolling on dealing with unruly behavior. The action necessary to deal with this problem has been long overdue. Hopefully some real solutions to this problem will result.

    Just a note: It is unfair to blame Metro for the problems in the Loop area. The source of the behavioral problems lies in the individuals responsible for the disruptive behavior, not Metro. These individuals just happen to bring their behavior problems along with them, wherever they go and whatever mode they use to get to their destinations. Behaviorial problems existed long before Metro. Personally, I feel the problem starts at home where it should initially be dealt with “old school. old fashion discipline” to nip it in the bud.

  • samizdat

    So, um, what “occurred”?

    • http://www.nextstopstl.org/ Courtney

      This instance was minor injury to a police officer attempting to break up a fight on east Delmar Avenue in the East Loop among a group of juveniles.

  • mike

    During an interview, a merchant owner on the Loop stated that fights do occur in that area and some businesses were even being adversely affected because of the disturbances; because most of these incidents don’t make the the news, the general public was oblivious to the seriousness of the ongoing problem with disruptive behavior which occur mostly among juveniles. The incident that happened Saturday was serious enough to make the news, and now has prompted business and law enforcement officials, in a joint effort, to start taking more aggressive action in coming up with real solutions to deal with, and deter future disruptive behavior.

  • RTBones

    Mike,

    Ironic indeed. It’s really sad that it took an incident big enough for the media to present to get the problem tackled, but it’s heartening to see it being worked.

    “Some people have expressed an opinion that public transit is the reason for the recent problems”

    This is so ludicrous as to defy explanation. Can Metro help with the problem? Of course – but then again, so can we ALL. It isn’t the fault of transit. This way of thinking reminds me of a ballot initiative several years ago to extend Metrolink to St. Charles from the airport. The initiative was voted down eventually largely because of the very poor ballot wording. The measure was intended to bring Metrolink to St. Charles, but there was language on the ballot that said “Metrolink or bus access to Metrolink” – a cop out for politicians to guarantee a bus route instead of a new train line. But what I vividly remember some of the TV coverage where the reporter would talk to some of the voters who would go on about all the criminals that would go to St. Charles on the train, rob their house, and take their stuff back to wherever they came from using the train, so they voted against it.