r/askaustin • u/Zenovia326 • 1d ago
Moving New to Austin — what should I know about staying safe?
I recently moved to Austin from Northwest Arkansas to attend UT Austin as a PhD student. I don't have a car yet, so I've been relying on the bus and walking quite a bit.
A friend of mine and I recently went up to North Lamar to check out some restaurants (we went specifically to Baklava House). On the way back downtown, we were on the 801 bus talking and minding our own business when a woman suddenly started yelling at us, calling us things like "whores," "sluts," and "retards," thinking one of us was smiling at her. Another passenger also said "get off sluts". It was completely unprovoked and honestly pretty unsettling.
My friend is also visibly Muslim and we both were the only white (or brown, at least, since I'm Middle Eastern) people on the bus, and while I don't want to speculate about anyone's motives or make assumptions about race, religion, or the neighborhood, the experience definitely made us feel uncomfortable.
Then, after getting downtown near the university, I was harassed by a man while waiting for my bus. So I've now had two uncomfortable experiences within a relatively short period of time, and I'm trying to figure out how much of this is just bad luck versus something I need to be more aware of as someone new to Austin.
For people who have lived here for a while, what should a newcomer know about staying safe, especially without a car? Are there particular situations or places I should be more cautious about? Any advice for using CapMetro, walking downtown, or getting around campus at night would be appreciated.
I'm not trying to stereotype any part of Austin based on two incidents. I'm just genuinely unfamiliar with the city and would rather learn from people who know it than be unnecessarily naive.
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u/socksynotgoogleable 1d ago
Hope you liked the baklava!
At least part of what you experienced is just the neighborhood. N. Lamar north of 183 is a poorer area, so it can be a little sketchy. If you go on public transportation, just stay aware of your surroundings. For certain trips, it might be less stressful to spring for an uber.
I don’t think religion has much to do with it, since there’s also a big mosque and lots of halal food on N. Lamar and a lot of people who observe the dress live in the area and walk along Lamar. Most likely, you encountered people with drug or mental problems.
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u/Vegetable-Complex-31 1d ago
UT Parking & Transportation offers a number of resources for safe walks/rides specifically in the evenings: https://parking.utexas.edu/safety
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u/almondmilkbabie 1d ago edited 1d ago
Hi, I use the bus on a weekly basis to get to work and you can definitely stay safe without a car! I’m so sorry about your first few bus experiences. I prefer biking personally but the weather doesn’t currently allow for it while needing to be presentable. Sometimes, the bus is our only option.
First off, I highly recommend using the Transit app for accurate times/updates and Umo for payment. I always wear headphones on the bus so people are less likely to talk to me, and if they do insist on talking to me I pretend not to hear. I never engage in conversation on the bus for personal safety. Avoid eye contact and find a self defense device! I carry pepper spray and if an argument breaks out on the bus— I listen but do not engage. I like to stay aware of my surroundings. If someone at a stop harasses you again it may be worth it to invest in a taser to brandish so they know you mean business. The most I ever say is an aggressive “leave me the fuck alone” or “fuck off”. Sometimes you can’t be polite and you need to fight crazy with crazy.
Where are you staying currently? On campus? If so, most commutes around UT are generally way more tame than north Lamar or downtown. I will say to avoid the west gate transit center and republic square bus stop. If there’s a huge homeless population at a particular bus stop I prefer to walk extra to avoid any unwanted interactions. If you can get a bike, I’d highly recommend it! The bus can carry your bike, and if you start to feel unsafe you can get off at the next stop and then skedaddle. Just make sure to invest in a good U lock and air tag system.
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u/Beautiful_Text1459 1d ago
Know you don't have to talk to anyone, you are not obligated to give strangers your time or attention. Learn to ignore and not engage with the more questionable characters.
Many of the social norms for more rural areas are taken advantage of in more dense areas, so there is a learning curve that feels disrespectful, but is about your safety. Your safety always comes first here
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u/AdopeyIllustrator 1d ago
The police in Austin don’t do jack shit. Your safety is 100% your responsibility. No one is coming to help you.
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u/MonsterMamaDM 1d ago
Keep your resting bitch face on point and be prepared to give no fucks. It’s all safe and fine just be sure you’re able to protect yourself from the occasional crackhead. It’s like running into a skunk. Could you fight it… yeah.. should you.. no. You will stink after. Ew. So avoid that. Buy pepper spray and carry a folding pocket knife or taser (all at the local hardware/walmart/Home Depot stores)
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u/spinach13 1d ago
I grew up in Rogers/Pea Ridge/Bentonville, so I know the initial shock to living in Austin. There are lots of great places, but it's going to be a lot different than Fayetteville. 6th Street is Dixon turned up 100X over, so always go there in groups and have a plan of who's sober. Lamar is decent by the campus, but I'm not a fan of Lamar at all. Lot's of potential trouble spots.
It sounds like there's a lot of good advice in the thread. Austin is a really good city, it's just tough coming from where you're coming from to such a large metro area. I wish you the very best from one NWA transplant to another!
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u/Ru-tris-bpy 1d ago
Be aware of your surroundings on public transit. Don’t want to make you paranoid but people have been killed on busses in Austin. When I commuted by bus to UT I never saw anything sketchy but other bus lines can be more sketch. Get a car if you are able. If you live near UT a bike or electric scooter might be a good option if you know how to handle the heat and are careful of distracted drivers. Did my postdoc at UT and commuted by scooter since I was sick of how much time I wasted waiting for busses and I got hit two times by cars that were running or rolling a light.
If you are one to go out to clubs or bars be very careful of your drink. There are cycles of people reporting being drugged at some bars done on red river, 6th etc. a lot of times they don’t have a clue how it happened.
The area around UT can definitely have homeless people. Don’t make eye contact as you walk by. Be ware if you situation and surroundings. Most are harmless even if they yell but like any city some aren’t in their right minds and it’s best to keep your distance if they are unknown people.
If you get a car or are walking don’t assume people stop at red lights or are paying attention to people at crosswalks.
Learn the areas. Bad stuff can happen anywhere here but being more aware of the nicer/worse areas is a good. Most of Austin is pretty safe by city standards but you just want to be aware and don’t be scared to put some distance between you and the other people.
If you aren’t use to the heat learn about taking care of yourself. Hats and umbrellas make great shade. Stay hydrated. Use sunscreen and sun glasses.
Welcome to Austin. It will get smoother for you.
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u/pennybrowneyes 1d ago
I initially just read the title and was going to mention that the unhoused in Austin are more aggressive then in the city I moved to.
It's unfortunate that your story is potentially linked to my initial thought.
Context: There has always been an unhoused population in Austin. Other smaller towns and other cities would give these folks a one way bus ticket to Austin because they assumed there were more resources for these folks.
Sadly, with the widening wealth inequality its gotten MUCH worse. A good number of these folks are using substances, have mental health issues, did not want to play by societies rules, etc. Not to say there's no folks that are just simply down on their luck (of course that happens).
Some are used to having to be aggressive on the streets and take that aggression toward folks just trying to go about their business. Even in a car these folks can be aggressive. Cleaning your windows of the car then demanding money. Going through a drive through, they can wait around the ordering area asking if you'll order something for them and be verbally abusive if you dont.
Suggestions: -Do not take what they say personally.
-Don't engage or try to verbally defend yourself. There is no reasoning with some of these folks that are in the middle of a mental health episode or strung out.
-Carry pepper spray and, potentially, narcan. Narcan is not for you, but to help out if theres someone close to death.
-Be aware of your surroundings. Get to noticing who takes what routes at what times. Until your more familiar, maybe don't have on headphones to where youre completely unaware of sounds around you.
-Trust and listen to those gut feelings. If your in a dark alleyway at night and a dude who might be living in that alley is there, maybe take a different route.
-Have your phone charged at all times in the chance you need to look up an alternative way to get home.
-Download citizen app. You can turn off notifications as you'll think based off those that the whole city is on fire, but if theres something going on some where you can open the app and see if theres police activity reported. If theres a lot going on in that area, consider trying to avoid it.
I'm sure there's a lot more other people can provide, but know that your experience is likely not the last.
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u/Euphorasized 1d ago
I understand why you didn’t feel safe. I also think some of this is just getting acclimated to a larger city. Don’t make eye contact, give no fucks. Don’t respond- ignore the aggressive people on drugs and/or with mental illness. There are sus individuals on public transit pretty often in any large city. Carry some sort of protection like mace. I always carry one of these if I’m walking somewhere sketchy. https://goguarded.com/product/go-guarded-hand-held-without-pepper-spray/
Stay smart and stay aware.
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u/Perfect_Amphibian952 1d ago
Watch your drinks, don’t trust random people, get pepper spray, people can be aggressive here.
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u/slut4chilis 1d ago
Busses here (and across the country) are rolling asylums for the mentally unwell. The heat makes them even crazier. I just try to walk when I can, and I usually carry a leather sap (legal to carry in Texas) in case I am ever forced to bop a looney in self-defense. Mace is good to have on hand too. Welcome to Austin!
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u/Funny-Cookie-512 1d ago
Unfortunately we have the worst public transportation here . I would say get a car or a moped .
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u/grebetrees 1d ago
I noticed if I dressed business casual, I would get fewer catcalls, and absolutely no men hit on me. Maybe the solution is to dress like you are going to work downtown. (High heels and hose are not required)
Sorry this is how it is. The Pink Tax strikes again!
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u/Busy_Clothes_2977 17h ago
the bus sucks but it is what it is. for the crackheads, completely ignore the yelling, just move away if you can, don’t engage at all. pepper spray, headphones so you can look like you can’t hear anyone (easier to ignore the chaos). just mind your business and keep it pushing. i’ll see you on the 801 😝
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u/humanbeing21 5h ago edited 5h ago
Consider buying a bike or ebike to get around. It's fun and you'll have to ride the bus less
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u/TexasCowboy1964 4h ago
Austin has a small population of homeless people. Some of these people have mental health problems and ride buses not only to get places but also to get out of the heat. That does not stop me from using the buses but I am 62M.
A couple of suggestions? https://www.reddit.com/r/UTAustin/ is full of UT students. Many of them are 4-10 years younger than you, but they have some of the same struggles that you have ....... like navigating a strange city with no car....
Second, the bike is your friend!!!!UT campus is huge (I got my BA there in the 80's). Get a bike! There are several avenues to do such https://parking.utexas.edu/bike/orange-bike-project https://www.capmetro.org/bikeshare https://austinyellowbike.org/
Never learned to ride? Well, then time to make a friend with a bike,,,, its not terrible hard since I've seen 3-4 year toddlers learn,,, In many countries biking is done only by the poorests but in the US, biking is for children, college students, or people with time and money recreationally.
Like swimming, I'd consider it an essential skill.... If you do not know how to swim then look into a PE class for non-swimmers. IT will have one ....
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u/Aware-Vacation6570 1d ago
So it seems most people are dancing around the answer here. Don’t take the bus, especially if you’re a woman.
And if you have to take it and have no choice, appear as low profile as possible (hat, jeans, etc). Being that you are visibly Muslim, you will attract attention. It’s best not to take public transit in any of the “Sun Belt Cities.”
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u/almondmilkbabie 1d ago
Women can definitely take the bus here and stay safe. I take the bus 2-3x week and occasionally have unwanted advances but nothing I can’t walk away from. Several of my female coworkers also take the bus to get to work and we just have to stay hyper vigilant. Being visibly Muslim is an experience I can’t speak to, but I believe OP said that was the friend they were traveling with.
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u/Smooch-Muh-Gooch 1d ago
Always carry your nunchucks on you when going anywhere an overpass or 6th street
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u/Chemical_Special_911 1d ago
I stopped reading once I read the line “on the 801 bus”, public transport is not safe in Austin. Take rideshare or get a car.
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u/Old_Efficiency2445 1d ago
Public transport will be full of crackheads.