Brooklyn borough president calls on MTA to improve safety at subway stations

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, a candidate for mayor, was joined by other city politicians to call on the MTA to come up with a comprehensive safety plan for commuters riding the subway.

News 12 Staff

Apr 15, 2021, 5:37 PM

Updated 1,331 days ago

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Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, a candidate for mayor, was joined by other city politicians to call on the MTA to come up with a comprehensive safety plan for commuters riding the subway.
Adams and Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez went into the Metropolitan Avenue subway station to hand out masks, speak to commuters and ride the train.
A few days ago, a man attempted to push a woman onto the tracks at the station. The woman was saved by two good Samaritans. The incident sparked calls for the MTA to do more to prevent crimes on the subway.
Adams and Rodriguez say only 63% of subway stations currently have cameras. They want cameras installed in 100% of them.
They also want an analysis done to determine if more police are needed and, if so, how to properly deploy them throughout the subway.
The politicians are also calling for funding for bystander intervention training.
The borough president says that subway ridership hit its highest level since the start of the pandemic and that safety needs to remain a priority as the number continues to rise.
The MTA responded with a statement saying, “We appreciate that candidates for mayor and other city leaders share our concern about safety in the transit system. Current transit riders and those who want to return to transit and come back to the city have been crystal clear -- they want the system to be safer, and to feel safer. We have been asking City Hall for more police officers and mental health resources in the transit system for more than a year. Getting ridership back in the coming months is absolutely critical to the future of transit, and to the future of this great city. Now is the moment for the City to act decisively to reassure New Yorkers.”