Despite public perception of heightened crime and danger in the New York City subway, and some recent violent incidents that have left some commuters shaking, MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber says the data shows the system is safe.
In an interview with City Newsroom reporters on May 1 at the MTA Headquarters in Lower Manhattan, Lieber said that the chances of being a victim of crime in the subway are “literally about one in a million,” citing data that with about four million daily riders there were only four felonies per day in April.
“New York is the safest big city by a lot,” Lieber said. “And the subways are consistent with that reality we have right now.”
It’s the message that Lieber, with Mayor Adams and his administration, have been lately sending to New Yorkers. At a press conference in late March, they trumpeted a 23.1% decrease in crime for that month. Both Lieber and NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban attributed that decrease to Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul’s decision to deploy 1,000 additional police officers in the subway system in February. Members of the National Guard and the State Police were also added by Hochul.
And even though some New Yorkers have expressed skepticism about adding more law enforcement officers to the public transportation system, Lieber said that MTA surveys consistently show commuters across all demographics feel safer with a larger police presence.
Lieber, who has led the MTA for over two years, acknowledged that incidents involving individuals struggling with mental health are still an issue that riders encounter. He praised Hochul’s $20 million investment in the Subway Co-Response Outreach Teams pilot program, in addition to the Safe Options Support teams responding to severe mental health crises in the subway.
As the city prepares for the country’s first ever congestion pricing plan, drivers entering Manhattan’s Central Business District below 60th Street are being encouraged to use the city’s mass transit system to avoid paying the new tolls.
First proposed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2007, and approved by the State Legislature with the support of then Governor Andrew Cuomo twelve years later, the plan will finally be implemented on June 30. It is expected to generate approximately $15 billion in revenue by 2029. This will fund the MTA Capital Program, the major planned projects and areas of investment for the agency.
Lieber said the revenue from congestion pricing will maintain and modernize the city’s mass transit system. He added that the MTA has numerous projects that are dependent on this revenue stream and described them as “state of good repair work.”
“I’m sure you can see that the physical structures themselves are aged and in need of literally investment to make sure that they don’t come apart,” Lieber said.
According to Lieber, the capital projects include updating the subway signaling system and Americans with Disabilities Act accessible resources. Congestion pricing, Lieber said, will also allow for cleaner air, less traffic in congested areas and improve the physical infrastructure of the mass transit system.
The MTA’s Capital Program is also in need of additional $6 billion to address climate resiliency. As the city grapples with the effects of climate change, the subway system is often impacted by stormwater flooding some subway stations, as seen with Tropical Storm Ophelia last September.
The MTA’s Climate Resilience Plan focuses on three areas: coastal surge, sea level rise, and extreme heat. All of which, Lieber said, need different approaches for solutions.
He mentioned storm drainage as a huge problem the city is facing. Just on a dry day, the MTA pumps out 13 million gallons of water, according to Lieber.
“The city’s storm sewer system has a limited capacity, and when torrential rainfall happens, it is overwhelmed in excess of an inch and three quarters an hour, and we end up being the backup,” Lieber said about the subway system.
Davaughnia is an Arts and Culture reporter for City Newsroom in New York City. She has experience in news, feature and magazine writing, as well as audio and video journalism.
Genevieve is from Brooklyn, NY and covers Arts and Culture for City Newsroom. Genevieve is interested in stories that focus on the intersection of art and technology.
Jason is a reporter from Riverdale, New York and covers public health for City Newsroom. He has reported on a various issues including politics, racial justice and currently public health. Jason is a graduate of Howard University where he wrote for the The Hilltop Newspaper. Jason has also interned for New York Amsterdam News.
