CATS officials host their first safety fair

CHARLOTTE — Given that the Charlotte Area Transit System has had several high profile violent events, a lot of passengers are thinking about light rail safety these days.

Every day, more than 17,000 riders take the light rail.

“We just took it to South End,” said Donald Burrough, a passenger. “We take it four or five or six times a week at least.”

Burrough and Tyler Tate always look out for each other when they ride.

“We don’t sit backwards on there,” Burrough said. “I wish maybe there was an attendant on each train car.”

What are CATS officials doing to improve security? An event at the J.W. Clay Station was created to answer that question.

CATS hosted its first ever safety fair on Saturday.

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“In the last six months, we’ve had a really big renewed push about safety and it’s one thing to tell people about safety, but it’s another thing to actually have them interact, to have some intersection with our safety and security team,” said CATS Spokesperson Brett Baldeck.

One high profile case that prompted CATS to make changes is the murder of Iryna Zarutska.

The young Ukrainian woman was killed on a light rail train last summer. After that incident, CATS started highlighting ways for riders to report concerns.

The company also installed more security cameras and staffed off-duty officers for 24-hour coverage.

On Saturday, the traveling public could meet some of those officers who ride the Blue Line and see some of the technology used to make it safer.

“I think that we need to have more programs like that and to publicize them around the community,” said passenger Dylan Duru.

The fair also covered some of the basics of train safety like not getting too close to an approaching train and if you’re wearing headphones, to make sure the volume is low enough so you can hear the train approaching.

At last check, CMPD says 95% of the off-duty slots for CATS have been filled. CATS is still working to add proof of payment verification, and possibly create a dedicated CATS Police Force.

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