Buffalo’s Metro Rail system should always be considered a safe, convenient public transportation option. It should never be viewed by the few who cause trouble as some movable playground on which to cause mischief.
Getting that safety message through to those few agitators requires vigilance by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, parents, guardians and community. A recent article by The News’ Ben Tsujimoto about the safety discussion taking place brings hope that good work is being done.
While officials say restricting bus passes for high schoolers has reduced the large fights downtown, concerns have moved to the subway and neighborhood hot spots.
It’s not that significant trouble is brewing on the Metro Rail. There are, however, a small faction of students who have caused disruption along the rail line from Church Street to University Heights and during school hours. Even small problems such as this cast an unflattering light on the larger picture. As NFTA Chief of Police Brian Patterson said, catching the subway (much of it underground) produces a “slight sense of vulnerability.”
Any complaints about students “experimenting with marijuana,” vandalism and fighting must be met with immediate action. That is where groups like the Buffalo Peacemakers come in. James Giles, founder of the group, said that last year “it was just off the scales.” This year, with the Peacemakers’ help, that should change.
More Peacemakers have been asked to ride the Metro Rail between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. each day. That should come as a relief to other passengers since, as Giles said, young people often pay attention to what they say. They correctly perceive the Peacemakers as respected mentors in the community, not as law enforcement officers. It makes for a more positive experience.
As for public safety officers who can impose the rules of law, Patterson said the NFTA has increased that presence below ground. This is also good news for the sake of other riders – including those many students who are behaving and just want to go home. Patterson managed to increase the transit authority’s presence on the subway without requiring overtime, a point that should be noted and gold-starred. The four officers in his school resource unit, who build positive relationships with student riders as part of their jobs, have also been instructed to monitor potential issues.
And as an added measure, Buffalo Public Schools has implemented “rail stickers” on student metro passes to clearly indicate who can access the subway.
Time will tell whether these measures have any effect. Local authorities claim restrictions have worked in the past, pointing to 2023, when the NFTA and Buffalo Public Schools designated a specific route home for high school students and allotted two hours in which their transit passes could be used. Of course, there were special exceptions for students who sought administration permission because they worked, competed in sports or cared for a family member.
Those rules were the result of students planning fights around town in public places like the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library downtown, Fountain Plaza or outside McKinley High School. Passes with greater limitations may have reduced the density and range of troublesome gatherings. It may also impose restrictions, as parents complain, on students who are not misbehaving.
Buffalo Parent-Teacher Organization co-chair Danielle Grzymala’s point about parents’ concerns from the end of last school year surrounding a loss of rail access and significantly longer bus rides homes should be taken into account. But the most important considerations are the safety and comfort of those students who are behaving and the other passengers who just want to ride the rails in peace.
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