What will it take to change the mentality about transportation in this city? (Atlanta: construction, living in)

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by arjay57

That may be the problem. We're talking about what it will take to change the mentality about public transportation in this city. Several posters have said that helping people -- especially women -- feel safer would be a big factor.

But if you're convinced that being hassled or feeling threatened is an inevitable aspect of public transportation that people will simply have to put up with, it will be hard for you to advance the discussion of those concerns.

Consider the situation involving older folks or young people with kids. They may be deterred from using transit because it's hard for them to access the stations or the trains, or to maneuver about with their little ones and their paraphernalia. If you tell them, "We just can't connect these social issues of yours with MARTA," then it's sort of EOD as far as they are concerned. If no one's willing to acknowledge and address their issues, it's unlikely they will change their mentality about transportation.

Dude, it's not just IN THIS CITY. It seems like someone with the name "kayoticworld" would be the first to understand this.

I never said that being hassled while using public transit is a fact of life, but the chance of being hassled while in public IS a fact of life.

These concerns are not about MARTA...they are simply social issues that we deal with daily. Why are you trying to make society's treatment of women a MARTA issue?

[kayoticworld]

Originally Posted by DeaconJ

Dude, it's not just IN THIS CITY. It seems like someone with the name "kayoticworld" would be the first to understand this.

Ha, Ha nice try.......I'm still not biting.

[back2dc]

Originally Posted by DeaconJ

I guess Washington D.C. isn't perceived as unsafe? I guess the majority of NOVA doesn't have a negative perception of public transit and isn't "car-centric"? Glass houses.

Look up the safety record and safety statistics on public transit systems. They have been posted here many times before and I'm not researching it just for you.

But we're not discussing Washington DC or NOVA. And I think you're deflecting the attention away from the argument at hand -- which is whether MARTA is perceived safe or not or is even a viable transportation alternative at all. I've been on C-D for a number of years, and I've never seen MARTAs "safety record" posted anywhere.

Please don't allude to statistics as fact if you're unable to verify them. I know it must seem fun and exciting to appear as if one is the authority on all things Atlanta, but without any hard data no one is buying it.

[mike7586]

MARTA > About MARTA > MARTA Police

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by mike7586

MARTA > About MARTA > MARTA Police

LOL!

That must have been difficult...

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by DeaconJ

Why are you trying to make society's treatment of women a MARTA issue?

How is the perception of safety while using transit in Atlanta not a MARTA issue? If a woman tells me she's uncomfortable on MARTA after dark, I'm not going to tell her it's just a fact of life and that she should realize being alone is unsafe for any woman.

Instead, I want to find out why she feels that way, and try to understand what we can do about it. Maybe she's perceiving things as worse than they are. Maybe there are specific locations that need more attention. Maybe we should talk about more police, more CCTV, better lighting, etc. Maybe we can find a way to work with local businesses or community organizations. There are bound to be ways we can improve things if we have a serious dialogue.

Telling her it's just too bad isn't going to get us there.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Actually that isn't the point at all. It's common knowledge that cities after dark are dangerous for women.

The point is what are men going to do about it. To repeat, most men don't attack women but virtually 100% of the attacks on women come from men. Only men can change that culture.

Since when is there a single monolithic male culture? A lot of the men who attack women are likely the same men who would do a smash and grab on a store or do a carjacking. That doesn't fit the typical male mindset.

[cwkimbro]

If we work at achieving Transit Oriented development centers are many more of the current stations it will boost ridership and make the destinations more populated, better lit, and safer.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

Since when is there a single monolithic male culture?

I seriously doubt there is a single monolithic male culture.

Nonetheless the vast majority of attacks on women are perpetrated by men, so we're left with the proposition that there would seem to be a common feature among at least some subset of men that's causing this.

Hopefully men can identify that cohort among themselves and do what's necessary to bring it to a halt. How else can we go at it? I don't see how we can't put the burden on our women to stop it.

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

Since when is there a single monolithic male culture? A lot of the men who attack women are likely the same men who would do a smash and grab on a store or do a carjacking. That doesn't fit the typical male mindset.

He's trying to turn it into a unique MARTA issue. It just isn't...it's a societal issue that goes far beyond this limited discussion.