Passenger Advocates Unveil NYC Subway Safety Plan Beyond Police Patrolling

crime in the public transport system of the City of New York continues to be one of the great concerns of the millions of passengers who daily must take the subway and buseswhere violent acts such as robberies, assaults, thefts and even a couple of shootings do not stop.

And although the Mayor Eric Adams Administration has defended its action plan against crime in the Subway, which includes a wide deployment of police force (3,500 uniformed), curbing minor violations such as jumping the turnstile without paying and connecting the homeless and people with mental illnesses to shelters and services physicians, commuters, and transportation organizations feel that the management of the train of insecurity continues to derail. At the same time they affirm that the uniformed are persecuting vulnerable peoplelike street vendors.

This was stated by defenders of security on the subwaywho on Sunday presented the “Passenger Plan for Public Safety“, a series of recommendations that arises as a response to the plan of the Mayor Adams to counteract violence and crime on trains and guarantee the safety and non-criminalization of low-income people.

The proposal, prepared by the organization Rider’s Alliance, highlights the need for the City and the State to focus on solving “core issues” that New Yorkers face every day, which affect safety on trains and stations, at a time when 10% of police officers are patrolling the subwaywhere they are recorded 2% of crimes of the Big Apple.

In your action plan, Rider’s Alliance criticó the implementation of police strategies similar to the ‘broken windows’ initiative (a plan that seeks to curb minor crimes such as crossing the train without paying, to presumably prevent major crimes). They also warned that this management does not solve underlying problems such as lack of housing, medical care, harassment and violence in the transportation system.

“Millions of New Yorkers ride the subway every day, almost all without incident. But the subway must be safe, welcoming and inclusive for all,” said Riders Alliance director of policy and communications, Danny Pearlsteinurging the urgent need to increase the flow of trains and that Albany also do the same.

“To get to that point, the Governor Hochul should run more trains so passengers spend less time on platforms and the subway can better compete for more passengers, creating safety in numbers. And Mayor Adams should direct the thousands of police officers on the subway to focus on violence and harassment instead of playing a numbers game by arresting turnstile jumpers and food vendors,” added the activist.

pearlstein added Parallel to this, it is urgent that both the City and the State finance a program of stabilization beds and permanent supportive housing to guarantee that the transit system is not the refuge of vulnerable and homeless New Yorkers.

Renae Reynolds, Executive Director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaignassured that history has shown that when more people use public transport, crime rates decrease, even with fewer police patrolling.

“We also know that the best way to get people back on public transit is to improve the frequency and efficiency of service,” warned Reynolds. “Many of the problems plaguing the city’s transit system today have root causes that require comprehensive solutions, and the Riders Plan for Public Safety lays out a model for how the City, State and MTA can work together to create a safer and more equitable environment.

Without intending to downplay the seriousness of the violent acts that have been recorded in 2022 on trains, public transport activists mentioned that these acts are minor compared to what happens in the rest of the Big Apple.

“Yes, we have had numerous (high-profile) incidents in recent months that have given all of us who ride our beloved subway cause for concern and fear. However, there is good news, the total number of crime victims is too low for our busy transit system“, said Christopher R. Herrmann, Department of Law and Police Science from John Jay College.

“The reality is that subway riders have a much better chance of winning the New York Pick Six lottery than they do of being the victim of a serious crime on our subway system. Recent research shows that there was a rate of 1.63 violent crime victims per million passengers, these are numbers that we should all feel very safe about (and we should keep track of)”, added the analyst.

In the presentation of ten point planrider advocates explained that their recommendations include transit policing, housing and mental health care, as well as reducing wait times to combat rider anxiety and frustration and address the needs of vulnerable riders.

“With homeless New Yorkers among the most vulnerable transit riders and police officers unable to provide the housing services they need, the riders plan argues that creating acceptable temporary and permanent housing solutions separate from and separate from law enforcement it is essential for the safety of the metro”, warns the plan. “The experts at the Coalition for the Homeless advocate creating at least 3,000 single-occupancy private Safe Haven and stabilization shelter beds, and setting aside at least 6,000 affordable apartments each year for homeless New Yorkers.”

Jacquelyn Simonepolicy director of Coalition for the Homelessinsisted that it is essential that a new approach be given to the fight against crime in the transportation system that does not single out people with low resources and real options to solve their needs.

“No one wants to sleep in transit facilities or on the subway, but many homeless New Yorkers do so because they feel they have no safe alternatives. Instead of continuing with aggressive police raids and tactics, the City and State must address the root causes of homelessness by offering people permanent housing, low-barrier shelter beds in single-occupancy rooms, and accessible mental health services. ”, said the activist.

Faced with the crisis of traffic violence in the streets, the plan mentions the need for full funding and rapid implementation of the NYC Streets plan to improve safetyd, not only eliminating speeding and reckless driving, but the reliability of bus service and rail access.

“The lifeblood of New York is public transportation. Our city cannot exist without reliable, accessible and safe transit options. The Riders Plan for public safety is a powerful model of real solutions for safety above and below ground,” he said. Danny Harris, executive director of transportation alternatives. “In the midst of alarming traffic violence on our streets, one thing our leaders must do to protect people who walk or bike to public transit is to quickly implement the New York City Streets Plan. What we need right now are solutions that address the root cause.”

The plan also seeks to address the need for more unarmed transit system personnel at stations to help passengers, updated and shared evacuation procedures, and improvements to the subway system so that be resistant to extreme rain and weather damage.

The transportation security initiative added that it is necessary to establish a program of accountability and transparency of public officials, in order to generate and maintain the trust of passengers and to be able to determine which policies have the greatest impact on security.

“When we talk about public safety in the transit system, we need to talk about accessibility, supporting people’s physical needs and getting them home quickly after a night shift,” said Brooklyn Assemblywoman, Phara Suffering Forrest. “That’s real security. That is why I am proud to join the Riders Alliance as they launch the Riders Plan for Subway Safety and fight for real solutions to create a safer Subway.”

Neither the Adams Administration nor the MTA commented on the plan presented by passenger advocates, who will continue to push their proposals to improve safety on trains, stations and buses.

Points of the security plan in the proposed transportation system

• Make trains and buses run at least every six minutes, seven days a week, as more frequent service would make public transport much safer
• Keep Stations Staffed Safely: New York City Ambassadors and Transit Guides in station booths and on platforms and mezzanines can provide a variety of important services for passengers, from facilitating fare payment to provide instructions to deter bullying Improve the built design and improve subway evacuation procedures for all passengers, particularly passengers with disabilities
• Make walking to public transportation safer and speed up bus service and fund and implement the New York City Streets Plan
• Expand and deepen the affordability of MetroCard’s fair fare programs for low-income individuals
• Improve the resilience of public transport to extreme weather events
• Pass state eviction for good cause legislation to protect renters from homelessness
• Facilitate the creation of more affordable housing and provide the homeless with good alternatives to mass shelters and Permanent Supportive Housing
• improve mental health services. Among that, have the City and State collaborate to establish and support response units for mental health emergencies, with training and resources dedicated to public transportation. Crisis stabilization centers that are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• Regarding the police presence, they consider that as a general rule, in the subway they should not arrest, harass or confiscate the merchandise of vendors, who also serve as eyes and ears in the transit system, making the subway safer for everyone. Nor should the police use the threat of force and arrest to enforce payment of subway fares.
• Let there be accountability and transparency

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