OP-ED
Keeping NYC’s transit system safe from COVID-19, criminals
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | AUG. 7-13, 2020 13
BY SARAH E. FEINBERG
As the city continues its reopening, our greatest
and most important obligation remains the same —
keeping our riders and our employees safe. Whether
that means safe from a virus or safe from other
harm, safety remains New York City Transit’s top
priority. It’s a duty we take incredibly seriously.
If you are just now returning to the transit system,
you should know that there are some new amenities
and safeguards in place to help keep you safe.
We are installing protective barriers on buses
between riders and operators, and we are offering
free masks on buses via our new, homemade mask
dispensers. We also provide free masks and free
hand sanitizer, in every subway station, along with
new signs and floor decals reminding riders to social
distance. We are also continuing to clean and
disinfect our system 24/7.
But the most important element of keeping yourself
safe in the transit system is to be vigilant about
wearing a mask. We know that wearing a mask or
face covering is the best thing we can do to protect
ourselves and others from illness, and it’s also the
law. I am so proud that the vast majority of our customers
— consistently hovering in the mid-90 percents
— are complying with the mandate.
Keeping you safe isn’t just about cleaning, disinfecting
and providing masks though — it’s also about
preventing and deterring crime in our system.
It’s important for us to be honest and transparent
about what we are seeing — in recent weeks we’ve
seen an unsettling increase in assaults on both
MTA employees and riders. This is intolerable. One
incident would be too many; that there have been
multiple attacks is outrageous.
Some of our bus operators have been targeted for
asking passengers to wear a mask. Our conductors
are sometimes attacked and spat upon. Just this
past week, a pregnant MTA cleaner was attacked
and beaten. These brave employees are heroes helping
to move our city during an unprecedented crisis,
and they deserve so much better than this.
Policing in America, and in New York, is going
through an important self-examination — as it
should — but we cannot lose sight of the importance
of an engaged, respectful law enforcement presence
in our system to prevent and deter crimes like these
from even occurring.
To be clear, we have a safe transit system— and
one that New Yorkers can be proud of. But we have
to keep it that way, and the reality is that even one
violent incident is too many.
For the future of the city, it is critical that people
continue to come back to mass transit. Most days
last week, we served more than 2.4 million customers
on the subway and buses. I am proud of those
numbers, and proud that New Yorkers are starting
to come back to Transit.
But if those numbers are ever going to increase
to pre-pandemic levels, we must be able to promise
New Yorkers a safe system. Anything less is
unacceptable — to our riders and to us.
Sarah Feinberg is interim president of MTA New
York City Transit.
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