Janno Lieber, the Chair and CEO of the Metropolitan Transit Authority, has a message for New Yorkers: the subways are safe, it's just your overactive imagination! Lieber sought to soothe straphanger worries by claiming that crime is down on the rails compared to a few years ago.
"Last year, we were actually 12.5% less crime than 2019--the last year before Covid--but there's no question that some of these...attacks have gotten in people's heads and made the whole system feel less safe," Lieber stated.
MTA boss Janno Lieber brushes off subway crime as ‘in people’s heads’ as congestion pricing kicks in — despite recent rash of violent incidents https://t.co/quVXMs4WQ3 pic.twitter.com/PBiu3pco3u
— New York Post (@nypost) January 6, 2025
It's a familiar tune. The administration of President Joe Biden is fond of claiming crime is down in America, while failing to acknowledge that the FBI statistics on violent crime are supplied voluntarily, and are often not submitted by several large metropolitan areas.
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Those who commute underground can see--and smell--the state of affairs. Despite sporadic infusions of police into some stations, the subway system continues to serve as an ad hoc psychiatric ward and public toilet for many inhabitants of the five boroughs.
Man stabbed in NYC subway station as congestion pricing kicks in, forcing more commuters into dangerous system https://t.co/cLj3aBLrXO pic.twitter.com/VkMxdHFGXF
— New York Post (@nypost) January 5, 2025
Governor Kathy Hochul has focused on maintaining and upgrading the physical structure of the subway system. The MTA's annual budget? A bloated $20 billion. Fare evasion continues, largely unabated. Smart solutions continue to escape the city's leaders.
New Yorkers are consistent in their pleas: they want a safe, clean riding experience. With congestion pricing forcing more commuters to consider public transportation, the calls for these basic needs will likely only grow louder and more frequent.
