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There's a lot of interest in forcing people to use public transit but relatively little interest in making transit something people want to use. If people think

There's a lot of interest in forcing people to use public transit but relatively little interest in making transit something people want to use. If people think they're going to be stabbed or assaulted they're not going to want to use it. Other countries don't have this problem and until the transit types realize this normal people are going to reject transit alltogether.

supernova87a 2y ago
The USA needs to work on: -- making the cost of employing a good staffing level of police more affordable (so that we can have more, everyday police doing a job as a neighborhood force and seen as a reliable presence against crime) -- more certain prosecution and penalties for quality of life crimes that we all pay for in seeing petty but significantly confidence-decreasing incidents that reduce our willingness to take public transport -- reducing the cost / increasing the frequency and usefulness of public transport services where you regard it equally as convenient as private vehicles You go to some other countries (less rich ones particularly) and buses have 2 crew, trains have multiple staff, taking fares, making sure rules are obeyed. Giving people confidence that this is something they want to ride on. Not a system where it looks like the station is half abandoned, was last cleaned about 2 years ago, and if you were mugged or even just reported a crazy ranting homeless person, they would shrug and tell you to phone it in.
- rangestransform 2y ago
  Subways in nyc have 2 crew by union decree and I don’t think it’s helped public safety
- pjc50 2y ago
  New York has an extraordinary level of police already. They're just bad at dealing with the actual problems. Including murdering a bystander in a totally unnecessary subway shooting.
vvern 2y ago
I don’t think in NYC it’s fair to argue that there’s relatively little interest in making transit something people want to use. We can debate about whether the efforts are effective, and certainly many aren’t. However there are vast sums invested in the MTA and a great many folks at the MTA who try to make it pleasant and safe. Additionally there have been added police and military presence in subway stations around the city for months (again, no comment on efficacy). All I’ll say is that there is a ton of interest from leadership on down in making the subway and buses work well for normal people and far more money then congestion pricing cost to implement or will bring in.
- throwaway48476 2y ago
  The police just walked past the lady set on fire. It's on video. Why is it that where I live all the tech companies built their own transit system just for their employees? Because they can control the experience and prevent the problems that turn people away from public transit. Either public transit is for the quiet people who are just trying to get somewhere or it can be for the nuisance types. They're incompatible.
paxys 2y ago
Close to 5 million people ride MTA trains and buses every day. And that number gets much higher if you include commuter rail, NJ Transit, PATH, ferries etc. operating in the city. Over 70% of daily commuters in NYC already use some form of public transit, and 90% of those commuting into Manhattan use public transit. All the "the subways are too crime ridden to use" shouts are pure propaganda. If millions of New Yorkers can survive, so can you.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- RhysU 2y ago
  Calling it "pure propaganda" is itself pure propaganda. Counterpoint, this poor soul who was literally burned to death: https://nypost.com/2024/12/31/us-news/mystery-woman-torched-to-death-in-horrific-nyc-subway-attack-finally-identified-by-cops-sources/ https://nypost.com/2024/12/31/us-news/mystery-woman-torched-... The subway is worse than it was pre-Covid. Congestion pricing will not address that. "Suck it up cowards" is hardly good public policy.
  - paxys 2y ago
    Okay now let's similarly post about every single one of the hundreds of people who were killed in traffic accidents last year in the city (including plenty who burned to death in their cars). That should be enough to convince you that no one should drive here right? Or is safety suddenly not a concern anymore?
    - throwaway48476 2y ago
      People seek agency and don't consider traffic deaths to be the same as random assaults. It's for the same reason most people think they'd do well in a fight. They value their agency and assume they would be able to prevent it.
      - paxys 2y ago

supernova87a 2y ago

The USA needs to work on: -- making the cost of employing a good staffing level of police more affordable (so that we can have more, everyday police doing a job as a neighborhood force and seen as a reliable presence against crime) -- more certain prosecution and penalties for quality of life crimes that we all pay for in seeing petty but significantly confidence-decreasing incidents that reduce our willingness to take public transport -- reducing the cost / increasing the frequency and usefulness of public transport services where you regard it equally as convenient as private vehicles You go to some other countries (less rich ones particularly) and buses have 2 crew, trains have multiple staff, taking fares, making sure rules are obeyed. Giving people confidence that this is something they want to ride on. Not a system where it looks like the station is half abandoned, was last cleaned about 2 years ago, and if you were mugged or even just reported a crazy ranting homeless person, they would shrug and tell you to phone it in.

rangestransform 2y ago
Subways in nyc have 2 crew by union decree and I don’t think it’s helped public safety
pjc50 2y ago
New York has an extraordinary level of police already. They're just bad at dealing with the actual problems. Including murdering a bystander in a totally unnecessary subway shooting.

vvern 2y ago

I don’t think in NYC it’s fair to argue that there’s relatively little interest in making transit something people want to use. We can debate about whether the efforts are effective, and certainly many aren’t. However there are vast sums invested in the MTA and a great many folks at the MTA who try to make it pleasant and safe. Additionally there have been added police and military presence in subway stations around the city for months (again, no comment on efficacy). All I’ll say is that there is a ton of interest from leadership on down in making the subway and buses work well for normal people and far more money then congestion pricing cost to implement or will bring in.

throwaway48476 2y ago
The police just walked past the lady set on fire. It's on video. Why is it that where I live all the tech companies built their own transit system just for their employees? Because they can control the experience and prevent the problems that turn people away from public transit. Either public transit is for the quiet people who are just trying to get somewhere or it can be for the nuisance types. They're incompatible.

paxys 2y ago

Close to 5 million people ride MTA trains and buses every day. And that number gets much higher if you include commuter rail, NJ Transit, PATH, ferries etc. operating in the city. Over 70% of daily commuters in NYC already use some form of public transit, and 90% of those commuting into Manhattan use public transit. All the "the subways are too crime ridden to use" shouts are pure propaganda. If millions of New Yorkers can survive, so can you.

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
RhysU 2y ago
Calling it "pure propaganda" is itself pure propaganda. Counterpoint, this poor soul who was literally burned to death: https://nypost.com/2024/12/31/us-news/mystery-woman-torched-to-death-in-horrific-nyc-subway-attack-finally-identified-by-cops-sources/ https://nypost.com/2024/12/31/us-news/mystery-woman-torched-... The subway is worse than it was pre-Covid. Congestion pricing will not address that. "Suck it up cowards" is hardly good public policy.
- paxys 2y ago
  Okay now let's similarly post about every single one of the hundreds of people who were killed in traffic accidents last year in the city (including plenty who burned to death in their cars). That should be enough to convince you that no one should drive here right? Or is safety suddenly not a concern anymore?
  - throwaway48476 2y ago
    People seek agency and don't consider traffic deaths to be the same as random assaults. It's for the same reason most people think they'd do well in a fight. They value their agency and assume they would be able to prevent it.
    - paxys 2y ago