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NEW YORK—“We don’t want to go back to the ‘70s and ’80s, when people were afraid to ride on buses and subways,” said Councilmember James Vacca during a City Hall hearing on the safety of the people who keep New Yorkers moving.
The Monday hearing was held to discuss incidents where transit workers have been punched, stabbed, or otherwise abused.
There were 69 physical assaults in the first nine months of 2011, compared with 57 during the same period in 2010, according to Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) officials present at the hearing. The MTA is responsible for the majority of transportation systems in the state, including the subway, buses, bridges, and tunnels.
The officials said there were “a litany of reasons” for the increase, though any reasons put forth would be “speculation.”
“We’re maybe for the first time getting accurate data” due to better procedures being put in place to report incidents, suggested a security official.
On April 29, 2007, MTA employee Marvin Franklin died after being hit by a G train, five days after a fellow worker died—also struck by a train.
All track work, apart from emergency maintenance, was postponed for four days, during which the MTA launched three initiatives in training for responding to accidents, and a track safety inspection program, said Cheryl Kennedy, vice president of System Safety for MTA. Several months later, they issued new safety procedures.
These procedures have been effective, but haven’t been able to stop mishaps like a MTA worker dying after falling onto exposed rail. Kennedy spent more than 20 minutes outlining safety protocols and procedures before she and other MTA officials fielded questions to “convey the importance” that the MTA places on safety.
Worker safety is a “collective responsibility” said Councilmember Vacca, and “passengers have an obligation.” He cited an incident where a subway was taken over by a man brandishing a screwdriver and passengers came to the aid of the subway conductor.
Other safety-related issues discussed included the notorious subway rats, track fires stemming from litter and debris, and the recent MTA trashcan removal pilot project.
The oversight hearing “Ensuring the Safety of Transit Workers” was co-chaired by Council members James Vacca and James Sanders.
