NCJ Number
221926
Date Published
2007
Length
222 pages
Annotation
This study examined the features of bus-stop locations in urban Lansing, MI in order to determine any links between those features and crimes committed against people waiting for buses.
Abstract
The study found that bus stops placed in high-crime locations increased the risk of criminal victimization for individuals who used those bus stops. The author suggests removing bus stops from high-crime areas in order to measure crime for a specific period of time after the bus-stop removal. If the bus stop cannot be removed due to inconvenience to the public, a shelter should be created that separates waiting transit users from other pedestrians at the site while enforcing non-loitering policies within that shelter. Another suggestion is to reschedule buses so as to reduce waiting time and overcrowding at high-risk bus-stop locations. Moving high-risk bus stops to a nearby safer location where lighting is improved or less crime is being reported is also recommended. Other recommendations are public education programs and a "business watch" in commercial locations for bus stops. Recommendations are also suggested for security at the main city bus terminal, which was found to be a "hot spot" for crime. Recommendations include using closed circuit television cameras and monitors posted within the terminal so transit users can see what the cameras are recording. The study focused on the 114 urban blocks that contained 638 bus-stop locations. A quasi-experimental design was used to spatially test the impact of bus-stop locations on crime within the study district. Crime in areas with bus-stop locations were matched and compared to areas without bus-stop locations in order to determine whether bus stops influenced crime in the surrounding area. 13 tables, 26 figures, 238 references, and a subject index `