Readers: Concealed Guns On Public Transit Is A Bad Idea

Nearly two-thirds of readers thought concealed guns on public transit was a bad idea. The original post, Poll: Concealed Weapons Allowed On Public Transit, has great comments on the topic.

The pro-conceraled gun argument goes something like this:

“I rarely ride transit but when I do I’m scared beyond belief about what might happen to me while waiting or en route. If a dark person tries something funny I want to be a hero with my gun.”

Ok, my characterization is a bit unfair but these folks sound like they’re frightened by their own shadow. They might be well trained to use their gun on a paper target in a controlled setting but I’m transit dependent and I can assure you the bus and train are not a shooting range. They cite a drop in crime in areas where concealed  guns are allowed on transit but fail to mention the similar drop in crime in other places where concealed guns aren’t allowed on transit. I’ve yet to see one independent scientific study that says conclusively that concealed guns results in a drop in crime.

The total vote count was higher than usual (160) but the percentages stayed consistent throughout the week so I don’t think any side tried to alter the results with a campaign:

Q: Concealed guns on public transit is:

1. A bad idea 102 [62.96%]
2. A good idea 46 [28.4%]
3. Neither a good or bad idea 10 [6.17%]
4. Other: 3 [1.85%]
5. Unsure/No Opinion 1 [0.62%]

The other answers were:

1. Are you serious? Could we be any more uncivilized?
2. Already happening.
3. already happening & will continue no matter what the laws are

Drinking alcohol is legal and people drink & drive, we should make that legal by the logic of these last two. The pro-gun lobby (NRA) seems to think they should be able to carry their guns anywhere and everywhere. In 2008 the US Supreme Court declared Washington D.C.’s gun law unconstitutional but conservative Justice Antonin Scolia wrote in the majority opinion:

There seems to us no doubt, on the basis of both text and history, that the Second Amendment conferred an individual right to keep and bear arms. Of course the right was not unlimited, just as the First Amendment ’s right of free speech was not, see, e.g., United States v. Williams, 553 U. S. ___ (2008). Thus, we do not read the Second Amendment to protect the right of citizens to carry arms for any sort of confrontation, just as we do not read the First Amendment to protect the right of citizens to speak for any purpose. Before turning to limitations upon the individual right, however, we must determine whether the prefatory clause of the Second Amendment comports with our interpretation of the operative clause. (District of Columbia v Heller) 

In other words, keeping a loaded gun in your own home is protected by the constitution. That doesn’t automatically extend to everywhere outside your home. Legislators that responded to my email on this subject tell me the bill to make concealed guns on public transit in Missouri legal won’t make it out of committee…this year.

- Steve Patterson

5th & Missouri MetroLink Station East St. Louis, Illinois

I like East Louis, Illinois. Yes, it has been hit hard by abandonment but, oddly enough, that’s part of it’s appeal. There’s so much to be done!

East St. Louis is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States, directly across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri in the Metro-East region of Southern Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 27,006, less than one-third of its peak of 82,366 in 1950. Like many larger industrial cities, it has been severely affected by loss of jobs in the restructuring of the railroad industry and de-industrialization of the Rust Belt in the second half of the 20th century. In 1950 East St. Louis was the 4th largest city in Illinois. (Wikipedia)

Last week I visited the 5th & Missouri MetroLink Station twice (Monday & Thursday). Thursday was for the grand opening of Legends Restaurant & Sports Bar just a half block from the station. I’d met Mayor Alvin Parks before but I was a bit starstruck by Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

So now they’ve got a nice restaurant in downtown East st. Louis, there might be others but not that I’ve seen. Still, the most common elements around the light rail station are parking, vacant buildings and vacant land. Tomorrow I’ll post about the amazing development that’s taken place around the next station east, Emerson Park, but today is about the 5th &  Missouri Station area.

ABOVE:Aerial view of station, the arrow marks the entrance. Click to view in Google Maps

The station opened as part of the original MetroLink line on July 31, 1993, it was the east end of the line. “The station features 322 Park-Ride spaces, including 25 long term spaces.” (Wikipedia). Numerous bus routes serving St. Clair & Madison counties stop at the station.

Access to the platform is via a single point. 5th & Missouri is the intersection at the top of the above map so I’m not exactly sure how that intersection was picked as the name for the station. The railroad right-of-way that was used is equal distance between 5th & 6th, with the entry point facing 6th. The entry to the station is also halfway between Route 15 (Broadway) on the bottom left and Missouri Ave, upper right.

ABOVE: Looking east from the platform

ABOVE: Looking west from the station across the park-and-ride lot

ABOVE: Looking west from the MetroLink platform past N 5th St. to buildings along Collinsville Ave.

ABOVE: Rotating at bit to the right the tall building you see is the Spivey Building at the literal 5th & Missouri.

ABOVE: Looking north on N 5th St toward Missouri Ave

ABOVE: Looking east on Missouri Ave just north of the station. Legends restaurant has the striped awnings on the left

East St. Louis Mayor Alvin Parks and City Manager Deletra Hudson mentioned a downtown plan but I haven’t received a copy after making personal and email requests. Who knows if it’s any good or realistic?  The problems are serious, some beyond their control.

In August 2007, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced its conclusion that the levees protecting a large area in Southwestern Illinois from flooding no longer meet the agency’s requirements. The result of FEMA’s conclusion is to change Southwestern Illinois’ flood insurance designation as part of its national Flood Map modernization process. FEMA’s actions would classify much of St. Louis’ Metro East as subject to flooding as if the levee system did not exist at all. This conclusion was based on a finding by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) that the agency had “reduced confidence” that the 74-mile levee system could protect against a flood that has a 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any single year (commonly referred to as a 100-year flood or a base flood) without the need for flood fighting. As a result, the American Bottom, an area of 174 square miles in Southwestern Illinois that is home to 156,000 people, 4,000 businesses and 56,000 jobs in 25 communities in Madison, St. Clair and Monroe counties, would be declared a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), with dire consequences for our region’s economy. While we continue to dispute FEMA’s conclusion, we must take immediate steps to demonstrate that we can meet FEMA’s standards for flood protection. (The Southwestern Illinois Flood Prevention District Council)

I’m rooting for a comeback in East St. Louis, but the odds are good. Tomorrow I’ll show you a reason to bet on East St. Louis’ success.

- Steve Patterson

Poll: Concealed Weapons Allowed On Public Transit

The National Riffle Association is in St. Louis and outstate Missouri legislators are trying to change Missouri law to force concealed guns onto public transit. House Bill 1483 was introduced in January but it had it’s first hearing last week in the “General Laws” House committee.  The bill summary:

This bill specifies that a political subdivision in the state cannot prohibit a person with a valid concealed carry endorsement from carrying a concealed firearm onto a train or public bus.

This isn’t about preventing the City of St. Louis, Kansas City, St. Louis County, Richmond Heights or any over “political subdivision” from prohibiting concealed weapons on public transit vehicles. No, this is about preventing the Bi-State Development Corporation, the political subdivision that operates as Metro St. Louis, from prohibiting concealed guns.

ABOVE: Sign on MetroLink train, no such sign exists inside MetroBus vehicles

Metro St. Louis is the Bi-State Development Corporation is joint political subdivision of Missouri & Illinois. I personally don’t have fear using public transit but some seem so struck with fear they feel the need to carry deadly force on their person. The only guns I think should be on public  transit would be those of law enforcement:

Law enforcement officers (including reserve officers, police cadets and turnkeys) may ride whether in or out of uniform. These individuals must present an appropriate badge and identification card to the bus operator or fare inspector when boarding out of uniform. Firefighters may ride free of charge when in uniform and wearing appropriate insignia. These individuals are permitted to ride free of charge because of their ability to assist an operator with dealing with emergency situations that might occur while on the bus. Any of these individuals identified “above”, who accept free transportation are in fact, expected to assist in emergencies in return for their free transportation. (Metro FAQ)

What do you think about concealed guns on public transit? The weekly poll is in the right sidebar. Vote there and share your thoughts below.

- Steve Patterson

Poll: How Expensive Must Gas Get Before You Take Transit Instead of Drive?

ABOVE: A large crowd waits to board the #70 Grand MetroBus at Union Station

The headlines are full of stories about rising gas prices & transit use:

Ridership on public transit, which is measured by number of trips taken, hit its highest level in the mid-1940s — roughly double today’s rate.

But with the widespread adoption of the automobile and America’s suburbanization in the 1950s, public transit use steadily declined until the early 1970s, when gas prices spiked following the Arab oil embargo. 2011′s ridership rate is the second highest since 1957. (CNN/Money)

The rate of transit use was double in the 1940s? Half the population used twice the transit of today!

The poll this week asks how expensive would gas have to get before you took transit. The poll is in the right sidebar, mobile users need to switch to the desktop theme to see the sidebar.

- Steve Patterson

2011: MetroBus Growth Rate Double MetroLink

Ridership on the region’s bus service (MetroBus) grew at more than twice the rate of the region’s light rail service (MetroLink), according to figures in a new report by the American Public Transportation Association. Looking at 2011 compared to 2010 the light rail service increased ridership a below average  4.62% while bus ridership increased a whooping 10.04%, way above average for the report.

APTA reported large bus systems like MetroBus in St. Louis grew by 0.4 percent nationally. Columbus, Ohio at 10.1 percent showed the strongest bus ridership growth in the nation while St. Louis at 10 percent experienced the second largest growth, and Orlando, Florida at 8.4 percent, the third strongest bus ridership growth in the nation. (Metro Press Release)

Outstanding!

ABOVE: A large crowd waits to board the #70 Grand MetroBus at Union Station

As a result of the substantial increase the humble bus is carrying an even greater percentage of the region’s transit riders. MetroBus carried 61% of Metro’s passengers in 2010 but that increased to 62% for 2011. Conversely the light rail service dropped from 38% to 37% from 2010 to 2011, see pie charts below.

It’s no wonder since MetroBus service covers so much more of the metropolitan area. MetroBus likely has a stop near your home and work/school whereas light rail isn’t as convenient. I can catch three different MetroBus lines within a block of my house (3min) but the nearest MetroLink station is 12 minutes away! Sure the MetroLink is faster than MetroBus but when I factor in time getting to/from each mode the bus usually wins if both are a choice.

Some will point out that MetroLink has a higher farebox recovery than MetroBus (27.8% vs 19.9%; source page viii). True enough, but MetroBus covered 5.7 times as many “revenue miles” as MetroLink in FY2011 (18,198,927 vs 3,147,407; same source). Naturally bus service isn’t going to have the same farebox recovery rate given how much of the region the service covers — those routes to low density areas just aren’t as efficient as other routes. We could never afford to provide light rail service to all parts of the region now served by bus.

St. Louis bus & rail ridership was down in 2011 from what it was in 2008, but current gas prices might push ridership levels for 2012.

- Steve Patterson

Transit Union Seeks Input From Riders

Over the next two weeks The Transit Riders Union of St. Louis is hosting three “transit talks” to discuss with actual riders what we’d like to see done to improve local public transit. I’m on the steering committee. Here was our post:

In March we’re hosting a series of discussions focusing in the needs & issues of regular transit riders. Please come and tell us the areas you want your Transit Riders Union to work on improving.

We want everyone that uses Metro to join us so come as you are.

Monday March 12, 2012 (evening)

• 6:30pm-8pm @ Urban Eats Cafe
• 3301 Meramec Street STL MO 63111
• Food & beverage is available for purchase but we are under no obligation to purchase anything
• Transit: #70 Grand, #73 Carondelet, #40 Broadway + walk

Tuesday March 20, 2012 (lunch hour)

• Noon-1pm (Brown Bag Lunch) @ Landmarks Association of St. Louis
• 911 Washington, Suite 170 STL MO 63101
• A deli is across the hall where food & beverage can be purchased.
• Transit: #32 ML King Chouteau, #99 Downtown Trolley, MetroLink (Convention Center or 8th & Pine stations) + walk

Wednesday March 21, 2012 (evening)

• 7pm-8:30pm @ Julia Davis Public Library
• 4415 Natural Bridge Avenue
• Food & drink are not allowed in the library
• Transit: #4 Natural Bridge, #18 Taylor, #41 Lee + walk

Please plan to attend at least one of these discussions!

Everyone is welcome too attend and all are free. Again, we want to hear from actual transit riders.

- Steve Patterson

MetroBus & MetroLink: Separate And Unequal

Winter weather is here but not to worry, Metro will keep you warm.

ABOVE: MetroLink platforms have heaters to keep passengers warm while waiting for trains

Unless you are like most transit riders and you take MetroBus. I’ve not inspected all the MetroBus Transit Centers but I know the Civic Center Transit Center doesn’t have any heaters, yet all MetroLink platforms do!

ABOVE: Shelter at Civic Center without heaters

A Metro blog post in October titled It’s Getting Cold Outside: Platform Heaters Now on All Outdoor MetroLink Stations explains the heaters:

Is it us, or is it getting colder outside? Not too cold for baseball fans though! All outdoor MetroLink Stations are now fitted with platform heaters, but it’s important to remember that in order to conserve energy, the heaters operate under the following conditions:

•  Only during regular scheduled service (4:30 a.m. – 12:30 a.m.)
• Only if the temperature is 45 degrees Fahrenheit or below.
• Only for 15 minutes each time the button is pushed.

All platform heaters now have decals on them with information about how and when they can be turned on.

Uh, it’s cold at MetroBus Centers as well. Metro treats rail and bus riders differently and in the winter this is painfully obvious…oh the pain is frostbite.  Most exterior MetroLink platforms are in a depressed rail right-of-way somewhat naturally sheltered from the cold wind, but most MetroBus Transit Centers are at grade and fully exposed to cold winds.

This inequity is new too:

Metro’s partners in Illinois at the St. Clair County Transit District determined that MetroLink passengers need to stay toasty while waiting for MetroLink. In 2009, Metro finished installing platform heaters at all Illinois MetroLink stations, thanks to funding from St. Clair County Transit District. These heaters are passenger-controlled, ceiling-mounted heaters that Metro installed along with a wind shelter on the MetroLink platforms. They run on a timer, so they turn off after 15 minutes, to save energy. The heaters are also set so that they don’t come on at all if the temperature is above fifty degrees. This initiative was so popular, Metro decided to extend it to Missouri stations as well.

Beginning in February 2010, Metro began turning on new platform heaters at several Missouri MetroLink stations, including: North Hanley, Delmar Loop, Clayton, Shrewsbury, Civic Center, and Central West End. All other Missouri MetroLink stations are slated to get heaters, excluding the underground stations (such as the 8th & Pine station downtown – passengers are already sheltered and those stations don’t get as cold), and the two airport stations.

The project necessarily includes an evaluation of the power needed at each station, and in some cases updating equipment to move extra power into the station. The stations chosen for the first round of installation in Missouri are some of the busiest stations, but also the easiest to upgrade. The Grand Station heaters will be placed as a part of the station redesign in 2011, in conjunction with the construction of a new transit plaza underneath the new Grand Avenue bridge that the City of St. Louis will build.

Metro is working to complete all remaining stations -with the exception of the tunnel stations, two airport stations, and Grand – by the end of 2010. (source)

I don’t even know the total number of MetroBus Transit Centers, they aren’t listed online — at least not that I can find. Metro needs to put a plan in place to rectify this inequality.

- Steve Patterson

Outdated Info At MetroBus Shelter

One thing my friends and I want to accomplish with the Transit Riders Union of St. Louis is to get Metro to keep information provided to bus riders updated at least as well as info for MetroLink light rail riders, we’ve all noticed a separate and unequal treatment.

ABOVE: Outdated transit info in the shelter on the NE corner of Kingshighway @ Manchester

Another friend, a regular MetroBus user, posted the above pic on Facebook Tuesday and I asked if I could use it. He called Metro to report the information was way out of date.

ABOVE: The fares listed were effective as of August 28,2006

Really? Information from five years ago still up at a bus shelter!

ABOVE: The regular fare is no longer $1.75

The current fare is $2.00 so there has only been one fare increase since August 2006. It’s possible my friend just happened upon the only shelter that didn’t get updated but it’s also possible others are also outdated. I know I’m going to pay more attention to the information at shelters. Hat tip to S.A. for noticing!

- Steve Patterson

TOD Needed at Civic Center Transit Center

Transit-oriented development is a great concept:

A transit-oriented development (TOD) is a mixed-use residential or commercial area designed to maximize access to public transport, and often incorporates features to encourage transit ridership. (Wikipedia)

In St. Louis, TOD is just a dream.

ABOVE: People selling soda & snacks to transit riders at 14th & Spruce.

We have a great need for retail around transit hubs but the design of these spaces doesn’t provide space for small businesses serving the public using transit. The number of people that pass through the Civic Center MetroBus Transit Center and MetroLink Station each day is a large number. This is the ideal space for commerce to take place. As I noticed one day, it does.

The number of riders won’t support a Walmart but a small snack shop makes sense. Even just a kiosk or two would work — the rent has to be low. Something that would allow a person to get a quick bite and water between buses/trains. Put the existing space to use.

ABOVE: Looking east toward Civic Center from 16th & Clark (click for map)

In addition to kiosks at 14th & Spruce we need to build over the light rail lines on both sides of the 16th Street bridge. From 16th to the curve at approximately 15th and from 16th to 18th (Union Station MetroLink).

ABOVE: Looking west toward the Union Station MetroLink Station from 16th & Clark

Ground floor spaces could be small retail shops and offices while upper floors could be offices and affordable workforce housing. East of 16th you might have a restaurant or two catering to the Scottrade Center/Blues hockey & The Peabody Opera House.  Yes, this creates a long tunnel which requires expensive exhaust equipment but the value of the habitable space created would make it a worthwhile investment. Clark Ave desperately needs something to make the walk from 18th to 14th interesting.

Metro is looking to expand the MetroBus transit center because they feel the existing one isn’t big enough to handle all the buses. Now is the time to think about creating more than just a place to change transit  modes.

- Steve Patterson

A Voice for All Transit Riders in St. Louis

ABOVE: Transit riders at the Civic Center MetroBus Transit Center

Today, on the 62nd anniversary of the formation of the Bi-State Development Agency, we are pleased to announce the formation of the Transit Riders Union of St. Louis (TRUSTL) which will fight for the public transit needs of the citizens of the St. Louis Metropolitan Area riding MetroBus, MetroLink, Call-A-Ride or Madison County Transit.

Members of the TRUSTL steering committee began meeting a few months ago to address a growing need for a unified voice for all transit riders in the St. Louis region. As riders, we have all complained to Metro about one thing or another sometimes getting positive results, other times as if our needs were falling on deaf ears. We decided the time to organize as transit riders was now to insure the needs of all riders are heard and respected.

We want to have a way to hear what other transit riders have to say about the quality of the service and insure Metro listens and responds appropriately to our needs.

TRUSTL’s purpose is to promote and defend public transit in order to:

• restore urban vitality
• ensure transportation equality
• improve overall quality of life

TRUSTL has established a Transit Riders’ Bill of Rights which we will use as a guide to our actions. We believe all transit riders in the St. Louis Metro Area have the right to:

• Equitably reliable, affordable and efficient transit for all riders
• Cooperation between all transit agencies in the region to allow for fluidity and simplicity of travel
• Transparent and easily used lines of communication between transit agencies and riders with mechanisms in place to address and respond to rider concerns
• Helpful, courteous service from employees of all regional transit agencies
• Safe, clean and regularly maintained transit facilities throughout the entire Metro region
• Accurate signage and up to date transit information made available aboard all buses, trains, transit stations and connecting bus stops
• Current schedules, routes and ridership data available online

Members of the TRUSTL Steering Committee include:

• Justin Chick (Transit Turning Point)
• Herbie Markwort (Gateway Streets & Next STL)
• Steve Patterson (Urban Review STL)
• Charles Purnell (STL Legend)
• Eddie Williams (Formally of MATRA-STL)

See you in transit!

-Justin, Herbie, Steve, Charles & Eddie