Safety

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Ensuring that riders and those living around the stations both are safe and feel safe is critical to making sure that residents in the corridor use the light rail and experience the benefits of having it within their community. Throughout the design, construction, and operation of the Blue Line Extension, we will focus on station safety and traffic safety to make sure that transit is safe and accessible throughout the corridor.

Station Safety: Improving station safety will involve designing safe stations, investing in the community and culture, encouraging good behavior, discouraging unlawful or anti-social behavior, and enforcing rules. Additionally, the creation of new public spaces around stations and active programming and use of those spaces will encourage foot traffic and lead to more eyes on the station, improving both actual and perceived safety without the need for direct enforcement. For more information about actions to support investment and development near stations, see the “Community Investment” section.

Traffic Safety: Improving traffic safety will primarily focus on providing safe access to the stations for all riders and those using streets around the stations, regardless of their mode of transportation. Traffic safety will also be addressed through traffic engineering and redesign of some roadways along the alignment to improve the safety of people driving, walking, biking, rolling, and moving in the corridor. For additional information about planning and development programs that support safe multimodal transit, see the “Community Investment” section.


1. DESIGN and develop safe stations.

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED): The Metropolitan Council team is designing the stations with CPTED principles in mind, working to ensure that the stations themselves facilitate safe usage by riders and discourage unlawful or anti-social behavior. Safety has been an important consideration throughout the design process and the design team has worked to incorporate safety elements to address stakeholder concerns.

Status: In Place, In development
Owner: Metropolitan Council
(Before and during construction)

Safe and Accessible Station Access: The Metropolitan Council team is working to design the stations to be safe and accessible by foot, wheelchair, and bicycle, with visible, safe crossing points and clear signage and signals. These safety improvements help improve actual and perceived safety for BLE riders.

Status: In Place, In development
Owner: Metropolitan Council
(Before and during construction)

2. IMPROVE traffic safety.

Toward Zero Deaths: Part of a global effort to reduce traffic fatalities to zero, Hennepin County and cities have participated in Minnesota's Toward Zero Deaths efforts with the goal of continuously reducing traffic deaths on city streets. Continuing to apply Towards Zero Deaths recommended safety improvements around stations would improve riders' actual and perceived safety when accessing the Blue Line Extension.

Status: In place
Owners: Hennepin County, Cities
(Before, during and after construction)

Complete Streets: Complete Streets policies promote road design that balances the needs of users of different modes of transportation including walking, rolling, biking, riding transit, and driving. These policies promote accessibility and traffic safety for all users of spaces. Complete Streets policies are currently in place for Hennepin County, Minneapolis, and Robbinsdale, and could be developed for Brooklyn Park and Crystal.

Status: In place for Hennepin County, Minneapolis, and Robbinsdale; under consideration for Brooklyn Park and Crystal
Owners: Hennepin County, Cities
(Before, during and after construction)

Enhanced Pedestrian and Cyclist Infrastructure: In addition to Metropolitan Council's work to provide safe access to the new BLE stations, the cities and Hennepin County are looking to build additional pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure in the areas surrounding the stations to provide safe, multimodal connections to the BLE.

Status: In development
Owners: Cities, Hennepin, Metro Transit
(Before, during and after construction)

3. ENSURE stations remain safe.

Community Service Officers, TRIP Agents, Uniformed Officers, and Security: Safety professionals and enforcement officials provide a physical presence, helping improve both actual and perceived safety. These officials work to build positive relationships with the local community, which could help improve safety while building community trust and support for the BLE.

Status: In place
Owner: Metro Transit
(After construction)

Outreach and support services: Metro Transit, Hennepin County, corridor cities, and others provide outreach and support services to people with housing, mental health, and addiction needs through various departments and initiatives. In addition, local governments coordinate with a range of community and social service organizations to provide outreach, assistance, and culturally specific resources and services to people in need. These initiatives identify and provide help to people experiencing homelessness and other crises that may impact communities near transit stations.

Status: In place
Owner: Metro Transit, Hennepin County, Cities, and partner organizations
(Before, during and after construction)

Code of Conduct: Metro Transit has released a new code of conduct to make the rules clear to riders and discourage rule breaking. This code has been prominently placed at existing light rail stations and will be included at new Blue Line Extension stations as well. The code of conduct discourages unlawful and anti-social behavior and can improve the feeling of safety at BLE stations.

Status: In place
Owner: Metro Transit
(After construction)

Security Cameras: Metro Transit has security cameras at all light rail stations. The presence of cameras can provide a feeling of safety and actual safety benefits when used by safety professionals to monitor and respond to issues in a timely manner.

Status: In place
Owner: Metro Transit
(After construction)

Ensuring that riders and those living around the stations both are safe and feel safe is critical to making sure that residents in the corridor use the light rail and experience the benefits of having it within their community. Throughout the design, construction, and operation of the Blue Line Extension, we will focus on station safety and traffic safety to make sure that transit is safe and accessible throughout the corridor.

Station Safety: Improving station safety will involve designing safe stations, investing in the community and culture, encouraging good behavior, discouraging unlawful or anti-social behavior, and enforcing rules. Additionally, the creation of new public spaces around stations and active programming and use of those spaces will encourage foot traffic and lead to more eyes on the station, improving both actual and perceived safety without the need for direct enforcement. For more information about actions to support investment and development near stations, see the “Community Investment” section.

Traffic Safety: Improving traffic safety will primarily focus on providing safe access to the stations for all riders and those using streets around the stations, regardless of their mode of transportation. Traffic safety will also be addressed through traffic engineering and redesign of some roadways along the alignment to improve the safety of people driving, walking, biking, rolling, and moving in the corridor. For additional information about planning and development programs that support safe multimodal transit, see the “Community Investment” section.


1. DESIGN and develop safe stations.

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED): The Metropolitan Council team is designing the stations with CPTED principles in mind, working to ensure that the stations themselves facilitate safe usage by riders and discourage unlawful or anti-social behavior. Safety has been an important consideration throughout the design process and the design team has worked to incorporate safety elements to address stakeholder concerns.

Status: In Place, In development
Owner: Metropolitan Council
(Before and during construction)

Safe and Accessible Station Access: The Metropolitan Council team is working to design the stations to be safe and accessible by foot, wheelchair, and bicycle, with visible, safe crossing points and clear signage and signals. These safety improvements help improve actual and perceived safety for BLE riders.

Status: In Place, In development
Owner: Metropolitan Council
(Before and during construction)

2. IMPROVE traffic safety.

Toward Zero Deaths: Part of a global effort to reduce traffic fatalities to zero, Hennepin County and cities have participated in Minnesota's Toward Zero Deaths efforts with the goal of continuously reducing traffic deaths on city streets. Continuing to apply Towards Zero Deaths recommended safety improvements around stations would improve riders' actual and perceived safety when accessing the Blue Line Extension.

Status: In place
Owners: Hennepin County, Cities
(Before, during and after construction)

Complete Streets: Complete Streets policies promote road design that balances the needs of users of different modes of transportation including walking, rolling, biking, riding transit, and driving. These policies promote accessibility and traffic safety for all users of spaces. Complete Streets policies are currently in place for Hennepin County, Minneapolis, and Robbinsdale, and could be developed for Brooklyn Park and Crystal.

Status: In place for Hennepin County, Minneapolis, and Robbinsdale; under consideration for Brooklyn Park and Crystal
Owners: Hennepin County, Cities
(Before, during and after construction)

Enhanced Pedestrian and Cyclist Infrastructure: In addition to Metropolitan Council's work to provide safe access to the new BLE stations, the cities and Hennepin County are looking to build additional pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure in the areas surrounding the stations to provide safe, multimodal connections to the BLE.

Status: In development
Owners: Cities, Hennepin, Metro Transit
(Before, during and after construction)

3. ENSURE stations remain safe.

Community Service Officers, TRIP Agents, Uniformed Officers, and Security: Safety professionals and enforcement officials provide a physical presence, helping improve both actual and perceived safety. These officials work to build positive relationships with the local community, which could help improve safety while building community trust and support for the BLE.

Status: In place
Owner: Metro Transit
(After construction)

Outreach and support services: Metro Transit, Hennepin County, corridor cities, and others provide outreach and support services to people with housing, mental health, and addiction needs through various departments and initiatives. In addition, local governments coordinate with a range of community and social service organizations to provide outreach, assistance, and culturally specific resources and services to people in need. These initiatives identify and provide help to people experiencing homelessness and other crises that may impact communities near transit stations.

Status: In place
Owner: Metro Transit, Hennepin County, Cities, and partner organizations
(Before, during and after construction)

Code of Conduct: Metro Transit has released a new code of conduct to make the rules clear to riders and discourage rule breaking. This code has been prominently placed at existing light rail stations and will be included at new Blue Line Extension stations as well. The code of conduct discourages unlawful and anti-social behavior and can improve the feeling of safety at BLE stations.

Status: In place
Owner: Metro Transit
(After construction)

Security Cameras: Metro Transit has security cameras at all light rail stations. The presence of cameras can provide a feeling of safety and actual safety benefits when used by safety professionals to monitor and respond to issues in a timely manner.

Status: In place
Owner: Metro Transit
(After construction)

Page last updated: 27 Sep 2024, 07:58 AM