Calgary city councillors are mulling over a series of bylaw changes aimed at giving peace officers more enforcement power to address safety concerns on Calgary Transit.
According to a city report, the proposed amendments to the Calgary Transit bylaw are “to support transit operator and rider safety” as part of the overall Public Transit Safety Strategy.
Those proposed changes include better defining loitering, and adding an offence for non-destination use of transit even with a paid fare.
The changes would also give peace officers the authority to request proof of age for people claiming to be 12 years of old or younger.
“This just gives peace officers the appropriate discretion to make these decisions on the fly and if there are concerns,” Ward 8 Coun. Courtney Walcott told Global News.
If approved, the bylaw amendments would also add an offence for harassment, threats and intimidation of riders, staff and transit operators, which would carry a fine as high as $600 — double the penalty for other offences.
According to the city, the proposed bylaw changes were informed with input from nearly 90 transit peace officers and more than 800 transit operators.
It’s a move the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 583 is applauding, as incidents involving operators are ongoing.
“It’s identified two or three of the major things that happen most frequently that cause problems for the safety of operators both physically and mentally,” union president Mike Mahar told Global News. “It’s impossible to go into fare collection without putting yourself at risk.”
Last year, the City of Calgary implemented its transit safety strategy to increase the number of peace officers on transit, integrate peace officers, police officers and outreach teams for coordinated response, and upgrades to stations including cleanliness and lighting.
The most recent city survey on the issue from April 2024 found that 77 per cent of Calgarians consider their personal safety when deciding whether to take a public transit. That survey also found 74 per cent of respondents feel safer riding a bus than a CTrain due to the proximity to the driver.
Eighty-two per cent of respondents feel safe riding a Calgary Transit bus, and 69 per cent reported feeling safe when riding a CTrain during the day. However, those numbers fall to 52 per cent on a bus and 35 per cent on a CTrain after dark.
“The perception of safety on our transit system is already increasing after a year, or two years of these changes,” Walcott said. “But we want to make sure that our bylaw is up to date with the lived experience of how we actually have to enforce the rules that we’re setting.”
Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean said he is pleased with the proposed changes, but hopes to take a second look at the installation of fare gates across the network.
“There should be zero tolerance, there’s no such thing as a non-destination rider. You should be getting on the train for a specific reason and you should pay,” McLean said. “By having a fare gate, it not only cuts down on the crime but it increases the revenues. We should take a second look at that.”
City council shot down the idea last year after a report found “no correlation between the provision of fare gates and increased transit safety” and installation costs estimated at $284 million.
However, not all of the changes are related to safety.
One proposed amendment would remove existing time restrictions to allow bikes on CTrains at all times after a pilot project found “minimal impacts to overcrowding” during peak times.
The proposed bylaw changes will go before Calgary’s Community Development Committee on Thursday.
If the changes are approved, they will go to city council for final approval at a meeting later this month.