Hamilton police recommend safety changes to escarpment stairs after 'history of assaults'

Two years after Hamilton resident Tara McFadyen says she was sexually assaulted on a set of escarpment stairs, the city is preparing to make them safer. 

McFadyen told councillors earlier this month it's been an "uphill battle" getting improvements made to the five sets of stairs linking the lower city to the Mountain to help prevent other women from the trauma she said she experienced in December 2021. 

She's been campaigning for security cameras to be installed to not only deter people from committing crimes, but also to help police identify suspects in future attacks.

She said she continues to use the stairs near James Street and Dundurn Street for exercise and commute to and from work. With the city yet to make improvements, McFadyen said she routinely hands out small alarms to other stair users. 

"Unfortunately, it's not just dusk until dawn — it's dangerous all the time," McFadyen said.

She said women are more likely to rely on the stairs if they earn a lower income or live with a disability, like herself. She is legally blind. 

"It's a privilege not to use the stairs," she said. "It's a privilege to get into your car and feel safe." 

Following a sexual assault reported at the bottom of the Wentworth Stairs this summer, police told CBC Hamilton they don't track the number of assaults that occur specifically on stairs or trails.

But police reported to council this month that "there is a history of assaults on the stairs, both physical and sexual in nature."

Council approved their recommendations including a one-year security camera pilot project on one set of stairs, to be determined.

McFadyen suggested the pilot run on the Dundurn Street stairs as they're busy and poorly lit, she said.

The Chedoke stairs are the busiest, with 2,000 people using them a day on average in 2022, a staff report said. The Kenilworth stairs are also popular, with over 1,700 people using them a day on average so far this year.

Other police recommendations include:

The improvements will cost a total of $420,000, which will be requested in the 2024 budget.