Riders need a real safety plan for our subway
New York City’s subway has become a flashpoint in the national debate over crime, and our leaders have struggled to come up with viable solutions that don’t involve flooding the subway system with more NYPD officers. After a sharp uptick during the pandemic, we now have 10% of NYPD officers patrolling the subway system, where less than two percent of serious crimes in the city occur.
The result has been an uptick in broken windows tactics, unnecessary arrests, cruel crackdowns on vendors trying to make a living, and the criminalization of those experiencing homelessness—none of which has made our subway system any more safe, inviting, or reliable for the millions that depend on it.
To avoid repeating the failures of our past and present approach to public safety and shift the conversation towards real solutions for creating a safer subway, we have released a Riders Plan for Public Safety to address the root causes of the issues at the core of riders’ sense of safety on the subway—created in partnership with experts in the subjects of transit, housing, healthcare, policing reform, and affordability.
Our recommendations include:
Increasing ridership by reducing wait time. There’s safety in numbers. Increasing the number of people in the system while reducing the amount of time spent idling on station platforms with all day 6-minute service will make transit more reliable and the subway system safer.
Staff the stations. NYCT Ambassadors and wayfinders can provide many services and respond to scenarios that don’t require armed officers. Reducing the number of rider interactions with police gives officers more time to do their jobs and less opportunity for unnecessary escalation.
Expand Fair Fares. Increasing the eligibility threshold for half-fare MetroCards to allow more low-income New Yorkers to access discounted transit can reduce instances of fare evasion, which would help more riders access public transit and reduce unnecessary interactions with NYPD.
Fund better housing options. Those experiencing homelessness in the subway system are there because there is no better option for them. Increasing access to dignified, permanent housing options is how we end the revolving door of NYPD eviction, congregate shelter refusal, and resorting to the subway for shelter.
Read the full report and join us in moving past our failed over-reliance on policing to address complex, societal challenges and call on our leaders to implement real solutions to create a safe, welcoming, reliable subway system for all.