[Grendel]

The city and Telus should look at eliminating or seriously scaling back the number of phones in and around the Beltline as a way of reducing crime. Last summer, someone I know cut all the cords to the payphones up and down 4th street. While the phones were out of commission (about a month) the number of junkies and vagrants loitering around in Mission seemed to decline precipitously.
The City of Vancouver (or Telus by its own volition, I'm not sure which) took all the payphones from around Gastown and Water Street, and it has done wonders. To be sure, taking the payphones out hasn't done anything for Vancouver's drug and homelessness situation writ large, but removing payphones does wonders for eliminating obvious places for junkies to congregate around.
I can't remember the last time I used a payphone or even observed anyone who wasn't obviously trying to connect with a dealer using a public phone. I note how filthy the payphones in Mission have become and how they are places that seem to attract vandalism and filth and wonder: "can Telus really be making enough money on payphone to justify keeping them up?"

[mersar]

Telus has been reducing the number of phones as it is, mostly as they are extremely expensive to maintain compared to what they bring in these days. I know that in Cochrane we've gone from around a half dozen to only 1 that I can think of.

[Vascilli]

I don't see why not. Years ago in Sweden we didn't have a phone (Our house was decades old and didn't have an active line) and the entire town we went through didn't have one. We all have our own phones now.

[entheosfog]

I don't think payphones should be eliminated entirely though. Not everyone, as hard as this is to believe, has a cell phone these days. Plus they can be important for emergency situations as cells phones do have batteries that don't last forever. Or if you have a prepay cell and need to call long distance. That's the boat I'm in and I'm thankful that payphones are still around. Although I avoid the ones in certain areas, that's for sure.

[Sir.Humphrey.Appleby]

^ I know when my phone runs out of juice, a payphone is pretty useful.

You could however get rid of payphones that take coins, requiring one to either invest in a calling card or have a credit card to use it. I remember reading that for a phone to stay it had to take in something like $3200 a month a couple years ago. If you got rid of the cost of collecting coins, and the maintenance of such mechanisms, you could possibly end up with more phones being economical.

I know when I used to go to Western the payphones at the 7-11 & Shell Station at 17th & 5th St were rather sketchy.

I wonder if the economics of drug dealing is profitable enough for the dealers if put in a position with no pay phones would distribute Pay As you Go phones to junkies.

[entheosfog]

^ I know when my phone runs out of juice, a payphone is pretty useful.

You could however get rid of payphones that take coins, requiring one to either invest in a calling card or have a credit card to use it. I remember reading that for a phone to stay it had to take in something like $3200 a month a couple years ago. If you got rid of the cost of collecting coins, and the maintenance of such mechanisms, you could possibly end up with more phones being economical.

I know when I used to go to Western the payphones at the 7-11 & Shell Station at 17th & 5th St were rather sketchy.

I wonder if the economics of drug dealing is profitable enough for the dealers if put in a position with no pay phones would distribute Pay As you Go phones to junkies.

well, let's just say when I use a payphone to call back home, I usually go to a mall of some sorts as they're obviously in better shape than the ones on the street.

[Ramsayfarian]

Instead of removing the phones, Telus can restrict the operating hours of the payphones. This was done to the payphone in front of the Black and White in Ramsay.

[Jimby]

but 911 would still work I hope?

[Ramsayfarian]

but 911 would still work I hope?

I'm assuming it would.

[Policy Wonk]

I have been to a few places in the US that have removed payphones in the name of fighting crime, unfortunately those up to no good just goto wal-mart and buy Tracfone's a dozen at a time.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10714717

They use up the free airtime and throw them away, some badies guys will permanently attach one of these phones to a bench or table or something and use it like the McDonalds drive-thru!

[Vascilli]

^ I know when my phone runs out of juice, a payphone is pretty useful.

You could however get rid of payphones that take coins, requiring one to either invest in a calling card or have a credit card to use it. I remember reading that for a phone to stay it had to take in something like $3200 a month a couple years ago. If you got rid of the cost of collecting coins, and the maintenance of such mechanisms, you could possibly end up with more phones being economical.

I know when I used to go to Western the payphones at the 7-11 & Shell Station at 17th & 5th St were rather sketchy.

I wonder if the economics of drug dealing is profitable enough for the dealers if put in a position with no pay phones would distribute Pay As you Go phones to junkies.

We still have one inside, I've only seen it being used a few times. I don't think anyone cares about the ones outside.