11/15/2022
Dear Janno Lieber,
Waiting for the Manhattan-bound Q train at Avenue U, “Wild Boy West” laid on the wall of the station opposite to me, and it stuck. Between the scarcity of acceptably hygienic seats and screeching of the tracks as the train stopped every so often to collect even more passengers, I couldn’t find a phrase more representative of the MTA Subway experience. That is, in spite of its real meaning and the intention of whomever graffitied it (which you might want to investigate).
It’s no longer a shock to hear that someone has been punched without reason, pushed onto the train tracks for where there is no barrier, or involved in a shooting when it comes to the subway. Assault and murder have taken a commonplace, yet you are not doing the most that you can in crime prevention. For one, security cameras should have been a reality on all your trains, but this is still not the case. It wasn’t until late September that a program to officially install security on all trains was launched, however it is expected to take until 2025 for that goal to be accomplished, according to an article by “Total Security Advisor” titled “MTA Installing Security Cameras in All NYC Subway Cars.” by Corey Sipe. That leaves over two years from now for the reality of security cameras. Mind you, while the cameras might discourage some criminals, it’s not going to jump in and stop someone who doesn’t care. This leads us onto the second security measure needed, officers. Other subway riders realize this too. In the CBS News article “Hidden cameras installed on dozens of subway cars as part of a pilot program” written by Elijah Westbrook, it states “’You need better police presence. That’s the only way you can really do anything. There’s no way you can put a conductor or a driver. That can’t be their job,’ another rider said.” Considering that you are controlled in part by the state government, you have made a noticeable effort to station security officers on trains and at stops. However, it’s only noticeable. One day, I see a few officers on one cart. The next couple days, none.
You plan to buy new trains with nearly two billion dollars according to an article “MTA Considering $1.78 Billion Additional Spending to Buy Hundreds of Brand-New Subway Cars.” by Ben Barchfeld of AM New York. You may as well be painting over rotting wood. Asides from security, you have overlooked the safety of your stations. Let’s take a look at what is the most dangerous design flaw of the subway, the lack of a barrier between the waiting platform and imminent death on the tracks. One may be fortunate enough to not have a train charging at them, however unfortunate to be pushed onto the tracks in the first place. Yet they would probably fall victim to the tracks themselves since they are electrifying, in the literal sense. Naturally, the call for barriers is nothing new, but you have taken a while to acknowledge it. Your answer? You are looking to install a whopping three barriers, as reported on by “MTA Opens Door to Platform Barriers in Three Subway Stations.” by Jose Martinez and Candace Pedraza of “The City”. That was this July. I would give you the benefit of time, however on February of this year, the “New York Times” reported the same thing in the article “Subway Platform Barriers Will Be Tested at 3 N.Y.C. Stations.” by Michael Gold and Ana Ley. The end of October is near and there are still no barriers at those stations. Someone being shoved onto the train tracks is as common as a problem as other subway crimes, and although it could be considered a difficult task, your revenue says otherwise. According to a Ballotpedia article titled “Is the New York City subway the state’s responsibility?” by Amée LaTour, your funds totaled $26.9 billion between 2015 and 2019, part of which is stated to consist of “a combination of tax dollars, bond proceeds, settlement funds primarily from financial institutions that violated laws, and federal resources”. However, the same article reported that your budget for that time period was $29.6 billion. Clearly none of that money went to barriers, but with a history of funding like that, you could afford that investment now. Other countries such as China, South Korea, and Japan have already implemented platform barriers.
Another point of contention would be the doors of your trains. Consider this article written by Brendan Rascius from Miami Herald titled “20-year-old gets caught in subway doors and is dragged to his death, NYC cops say”. The title, I think, says it all. For both the doors to remain closed and the train to operate as if there wasn’t someone being dragged along is more than questionable. I myself have seen the viciousness of these doors. I was on the B train headed towards Brooklyn, which remained stationed at Columbus Street. However, an old woman fell and was caught between the doors. Over and over, the doors closed on her without regard. She was able to get back up again, and the doors were finally able to close. The train, of course, was blind to all of this and proceeded as usual. Whether the doors themselves were acting on vicious tendencies or the conductor, this is a complete failure of safety. It seems that no one knows how the doors truly behave, and although I have heard from my Calculus professor that the doors close automatically, you should make sure to double check them.
I acknowledge that you are a business, albeit supported by billions in tax revenue collected by New York, and as such you operate as one. You have quotas to meet, profits to make, employers to pay, and shareholders to please. You look at us as “customers”, consuming your service. However, consider the service you provide. You are not in the business of serving luxuries or entertainment, but transportation. Your trains run throughout all the five boroughs, picking up and delivering residents to their place of work or education or back to their homes. If there where no trains, I wonder how the city would survive. It’s safe to say that most people are not taking cars to work, or at least there isn’t enough space on the road to support the over three million residents now without subways. How would those people get to work, to school, and back to their families? We aren’t customers, you’re just as necessary as the sidewalks. We don’t have the luxury of time. There are no other options, and I’m quite certain that you know this. Where we the “customers” are expected to fend for our own safety in the “Wild West”, the subway already costs five dollars and fifty cents to take back and forth daily. Don’t cost people their lives as well.
Sincerely, Laith Toom
Works Cited
Brachfeld, Ben. “MTA Considering $1.78 Billion Additional Spending to Buy Hundreds of Brand-New Subway Cars.” AmNewYork, 23 Oct. 2022, https://www.amny.com/transit/mta-spending-new-subway-cars/
Gold, Michael, and Ana Ley. “Subway Platform Barriers Will Be Tested at 3 N.Y.C. Stations.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 Feb. 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/23/nyregion/nyc-subway-barriers.html
LaTour, Amée. “Fact Check/Is the New York City Subway the State’s Responsibility.” Ballotpedia, 9 Aug. 2017, https://ballotpedia.org/Fact_check/Is_the_New_York_City_subway_the_state%27s_responsibility
Martinez, Jose, and Candace Pedraza. “MTA Opens Door to Platform Barriers in Three Subway Stations.” The City, The City, 15 July 2022, https://www.thecity.nyc/2022/7/15/23219309/mta-open-to-platform-door-barrier-in-3-subway-stations
Rascius, Brendan. “Met Opera Worker Dragged to Death on NYC Subway, Cops Say | Miami Herald.” Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2022, https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article267901727.html
Sipe, Corey. “MTA Installing Security Cameras in All NYC Subway Cars.” Total Security Advisor, 29 Sept. 2022, https://totalsecurityadvisor.blr.com/security-hardware-and-technology/mta-installing-security-cameras-in-all-nyc-subway-cars/
Westbrook, Elijah. “Hidden Cameras Installed on Dozens of Subway Cars as Part of a Pilot Program, MTA Says.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 23 June 2022, https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/mta-hidden-cameras/
