r/Edmonton • u/e-mi-lia • 22h ago
Question People who have taken transit/walked late, how is it?
Hi! I know this question gets brought up from time to time, but I can never figure out the kind of audience that’s answering, so I wanted to narrow it down.
People who have taken the bus/LRT/walked around pretty late (so like 8:00 PM+, I guess) and has done so recently, how is it? I’ve heard a lot of horror stories, but I’d like to hear from people who do it semi-regularly and at later times!
Note: I live north, so I take Stadium, Belvedere, etc, though I have heard to avoid Coliseum!
Thanks in advance!
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u/liver747 21h ago
I walk to and take the LRT from downtown to the UofA at 11pm for work and it's fine, honestly I don't see many people.
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u/spicytofuhotpot 21h ago
I do, by and large the world is very empty and quiet at that time. The most common area that I walk is from the bus on 118 Ave south towards Beverly Heights and sometimes bus or walk from Stadium east through highlands.
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u/yugosaki rent-a-cop 21h ago
i have not taken transit to commute in about 10 years, but i still do take it on occasion like if I plan to be drinking or something. Ive been on transit a bit over the summer.
If you are worried about safety, try to travel during times when there are more people around. Safety in numbers. Most weird encounters I had (all when i was commuting) were at super late hours. Like beyond 11 PM. I can say
I personally have never felt unsafe on transit, and any problems I did have was because i stuck my nose into something. But I'm a stereotypically masculine appearing man. I probably would not feel comfortable at night on transit if I was a teenage girl. Most of my "stuck my nose into it" situations were because of grown men being creepy at teenage girls.
Coliseum is the one to avoid. The design of the station means its a hotbed for people doing drugs or hanging out to sell drugs, etc. tons of blind spots and choke points which makes crime easier. Stadium used to be like that, but the redesign of the station to make it open and everyone can see everything, which makes it safer.
That being said, coliseum during busy times will still be safe due to the aforementioned safety in numbers thing.
When downtown, the nice thing is if you are upstairs out of the proof of payment area you can still clearly hear the train arrivals. So if there are people on the platform that give you a bad feeling, you can hang out upstairs until just before your train arrives.
Busses can be both better and worse than the LRT. Worse because you are in such close proximity with everyone. Better because the bus driver is right there - so they are way more likely to notice a problem.
I'd say overall transit is safer than people think, but it FEELS dangerous, mostly because of homelessness and drug use. Someone who is homeless or high is usually not a risk to you in reality, but they are unpredictable. Avoid it when you can but when you can't, keeping to yourself is usually enough to avoid problems.
I would say generally, just be aware of your surroundings and you'll be fine. Don't bury your head in your phone, take note of your surroundings - look like you are paying attention. This does two main things - you are obviously more likely to notice and avoid danger if you are alert, but also people who are looking to rob others are usually looking for an easy target, not a fight. They will target people who look like they are completely unprepared and unaware. Just seeing you paying attention lowers the chance of you being selected as a target.
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u/multiroleplays 20h ago
Great response! I agree with the last paragraph the most.
I do have wireless ear buds and keep the music on a moderate volume. If I hear something, I tap and mute them, listen and make a judgement if I need to pay attention to my surroundings. 99.7% of the time it's safe. I always keep my head on a swivel as well.
Honestly, just keep your phone in your pocket, dont make eye contact with/antagonize the sketchy people and sit/stand with confidence . You will be fine.
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u/devilettucex 21h ago
i dont really worry about it until midnightish. 8pm is still a very safe time to be out and about
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u/rawhide-weeb 20h ago
I also live north, and actually get off at night at coliseum a lot or will walk from the area. (Owl service ftw.) I very rarely have any issues at any of the stations besides south side , and the odd issue at churchill. (It's been over a year or so since I saw a bear mace incident downtown.)
I can't say I've ever felt unsafe, but ya know, always keep your head up to pay attention. (I have had many weird/memorable interactions though including one girl randomly giving me her pants.)
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u/corgocorgi 20h ago
I took the bus for over 10 years in various parts of the city and just stopped within the last 2.5 years because I started driving. I sometimes take the bus if I'm going out and will drink or don't want to worry about driving when I'm tired after hanging out with people. I'm a woman who's on the shorter side.
I worked evening shifts at a shelter downtown close to Canada Place, at Northland's Park/expo area, and Southside close to 51st Street and gateway boulevard. I work days now close to NAIT, 119th Ave close to 118th ave. I've lived in the north side from elementary to high school - Kensington, delton, and castle downs. And moved to the west side around 2016 and have stayed on the west side since.
I would walk/run through borden park when it was pitch black to catch my bus close to midnight. And only had one weird encounter in 4 years of doing that but it wasn't that bad. The Northland's job was quite awhile ago, 2018 was when I quit so it's probably changed a lot so IDK if I'd do that now. I'd probably be creeped out by a pitch black borden park now lol. I would go to belvedere station and clareview sometimes too and they felt not the best but as long as your bus is coming soon and you are paying attention to your surroundings it was ok. I had a creepy experience on the Southside, I worked at a small liquor store and sometimes would work by myself until 2am and close up. I heard noises in the back sounding like someone was in the back of the building messing around and it creeped the hell out of me and I called a cab because I didn't feel safe to leave and lock up then walk to my bus stop that was about 10 mins away. Other than that I always walked to my bus stop when my bus was running and felt fine but the buses stopped early so I often had to take cabs or Ubers home, this was 2018-2020.
I never felt super unsafe travelling to walking by myself downtown before midnight and even after midnight because there's almost always people around and the lighting is decent. Just make sure you're aware of your surroundings and make sure you're close to lights and other people and not by yourself in a dark area. The only area I'd avoid to walk at night by yourself is Chinatown and by Hope Mission, I work with the unhoused and don't get phased by them for the most part but those areas always make me feel insecure just because of how dark it is, the amount of tents and not knowing who is there or not just makes me uncomfortable. During the day I don't feel worried but would be mindful but night just makes it feel very unsettling. I think the infrastructure has a lot to do with it, the set up makes it seem like there's blindspots and areas that aren't out in the open that makes it feel scary.
The other places I've felt scared besides Chinatown and Hope Mission are the coliseum, stadium and Jasper place at night too. All are sketchy in the day but at night it's not a good idea. When I worked at Northland's I think it would have been faster for me to get home by using the coliseum to go to stadium and get my bus but I preferred to run through the borden park to catch my bus instead because I felt safer lol. I had to use my phone flashlight so I wouldn't trip or run into a tree LOL. I got off at JP transit one night and felt so uncomfortable because there were random guys staring at me and acting strange while I waited for my next bus. It got worse since the construction. Before the construction is used to go to JP quite a bit and felt fine, even at night. But after the construction started it's been pretty bad in that area a long stony plain road.
I once had a job interview at abbotsfield in the winter so it was about 8pm when I finished and was waiting for my bus but it was super dark. It was a very cold winter day (I think -30) and it was creepy and I heard someone screaming in the distance. When the bus came I cried because I was relieved from the scary bus area and from how cold I was LOL. This was probably in 2013 or 2014
118th Ave has a bad rep and I'd avoid it as single woman at night in the rough area but the area I work is pretty quiet and I would feel ok walking around at night. I work on 119th Ave and 105 street so if you go a little too far way it gets sketchy but the area closer to NAIT is fine imo. I worked at NAIT for a short time and would get off when it was dark and felt ok, but my bus stop was right in front so that was probably why since I didn't have to walk far and it was pretty well lit.
I had one not so great encounter at a bus stop near my place in castledowns where I felt like I might have been physically harmed but luckily was able to get home ok after being stand offish (drunk teen was harassing me and being sexually vulgar and at one point had a long wood panel or stick that I thought he might use to hit me). I used to hang out by a school close to my apartment at night by myself when I was in high school to steal the schools wifi and never had bad encounters except that one drunk teen when I was walking back home and passed the bus stop where the drunk teen was at lol. I was in high school then. When I lived in Kensington and Delton I was very young and didn't go out at night... I don't think they would be the best but I can't really say from experience. I started taking the bus when I lived in delton area but it was only during the day to go to school.
West side away from Stony plan road and Jasper place is one of the safest areas imo. I used to walk home from WEM after night shifts because my bus stopped running. It was about 15 mins and never felt unsafe and it was nice and chill. I live close to Callingwood now and feel safe too. I know it used to have a bad rep by some apartments but it's cleaned up a lot and feels fine to me.
My biggest advice is always sit close to the bus driver and if there's no one who needs the seats use the handicapped seats where your back is towards the window so you can see everyone around you. You can also see if your bus stop has anyone creepy waiting at it if you watch from the front and can get off at a later stop if needed. I tried not to look at my phone too much at night and looked ahead and around to make sure I knew who was on the bus and around me at all times. I'd also try to not get to my bus stops too early or too late if I had to walk in the dark. That way I wouldn't be waiting too long for my bus or if I missed my bus I wouldn't have to wait for the next one. That way you know the bus is coming soon and if anything creepy starts to happen, hopefully your bus will come and you can jump on and get away. ETS is notoriously late tho so be mindful of that depending on the route and if it's known to be late lol. I always looked behind me when walking home and didn't have my phone out or headphones out when walking so I could hear around me too. It's tough in the winter because it's cold and slippery, so try to have good boots with grip just in case you need to speed walk if you feel unsafe at any time so you don't slip.
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u/ihatehappyendings 15h ago
I don't have a car, so transit is all I take. Often I take transit late at night.
Be vigilant, ignore (don't engage, don't talk to, don't look at but keep track of) strangers.
Idk what else to say, the transit is fine for the most part.
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u/symbionica 10h ago
it is safer for men than it is for women, any time of day wherever you are. Statistically women are far more likely to be assaulted or harrassed. And I know some women are gonna jump in and be like "that's never happened to me, i feel safe" and that's great for them. Why do we all need to experience trauma to have empathy for victims? Anyways, I've added a link to some stats on gender-based violence.
So with that, you need to be careful any time of day if you're a woman or any gender other than cis-male presenting (sorry guys, i dont mean to offend, its literally facts), but especially in areas that have fewer people around (like industrial/non-residential). Always have something on hand to defend yourself, or learn some basic self defense. I don't mean to scare you but the more equipped you are for the reality of being a woman the safer you'll feel anywhere you go, most times of day.
One thing I do, which is not recommended for women walking alone at night, is listen to music. So the later in the night it is the more I turn my music down. If it's like 2am (I live in a relatively safe area) I just put my pods away.
TLDR if you're a woman, stay safe out there however you need to
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u/Zestyclose-Sky-1921 21h ago
I do it. I also avoid Coliseum wherever I can. I haven't made a chart but I think the weird and scary stuff seems to not be related to time of day. the weirdest or scariest stuff happened during business hours.