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Statement by Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum at

TWU Press Conference on Subway Rider Safety

 

The MTA is on a collision course with disaster:

Token booth closings. Trains with no conductors. A lack of security cameras.

Train doors that riders can’t open—even in the event of an emergency.

This is the situation that the MTA is forcing on New Yorkers.

And it doesn’t take an expert to see that rider safety is in jeopardy.

Four years have passed since September 11, 2001, and the MTA still has no serious plan to protect our subways and buses.

This agency seems to think that if it throws money into a sophisticated security system New Yorkers won’t mind that it is brushing aside conductors and token booth agents—the people who help keep us safe every day.

They are mistaken.

A computer can’t help riders safely evacuate a train that is stuck in the tunnel. A computer can’t keep people calm and orderly in the event of an emergency.

The MTA is taking the people of New York for a ride.

We are here today to say, enough is enough.

New Yorkers demand a serious, comprehensive safety plan for City subways and buses. After all the fare hikes and service cuts, they deserve nothing less.

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