Ruth Colp-Haber, NYC Office Leasing Agent
Happy New Year to all! Steve Cuozzo recently wrote a brilliant column in the New York Post debunking the bogus propaganda that New York City is a hellhole of homelessness, crime, and empty office buildings which got me thinking. To the contrary, upon returning to the city from a brief vacation just before New Year’s I was struck by the packed restaurants, movie theaters, sports events, museums, and stores that were the most crowded in my memory.
In a welcome reminder of the level of safety on the trains, Steve cited a recent statistic from the New York Times which stated that in 2024 there were 579 felonies on the subway, which translates into one assault for every 2 million rides. However, that was over twice as much as the crime rate in 2019, when there was one felony assault for every 4.5 million rides.
So far so good. But two things can be true at once. We have also seen the spate of recent news of subway stabbings, slashings and shoving on the tracks (which can be stopped by putting up barriers), and even the setting of a woman on fire which served as the ultimate symbol as a system that is inadequately policed. These stories are real. Further, as a regular daily rider of the rails, I can attest to the sometimes chaotic and frightening nature of the aggressive panhandlers, gymnasts, and homeless and mentally impaired people who do not enhance the average rider’s traveling experience.
Metropolitan Transit Authority chair and CEO Janno Lieber told Bloomberg yesterday that “there’s some of these high-profile incidents, terrible attacks, focusing on have gotten into people’s heads and made the whole system feel less safe.” This perception that the subway is unsafe is well-grounded in reality for riders.
The good news is that Mr. Lieber has an opportunity to help deal with this critical problem immediately. As a fortuitous coincidence, congestion pricing just started on Sunday, and we fervently hope it succeeds. In another stroke of good timing, the funds raised from the $9.00 toll will allow for the issuance of $15 billion in congestion pricing bonds by the MTA.
Lieber correctly noted on Morning Joe this morning that “we have to be able to be comfortable in that public space [the subway]”. In order to do so, the MTA should promptly allocate some of the bond financing proceeds toward subway security and improved policing. This will have the double benefit of making people safer, and in a virtuous circle also improve the perception of safety so that more people will take the subways. As an added benefit, increased ridership would bring more money into the MTA’s coffers.
You might wonder why I am banging on about the New York City subway when our business at Wharton Property Advisors is helping tenants get office space. The answer is simple. Now more than ever with the institution of congestion pricing, the city’s subways are the heartbeat of the city. Accordingly, they need to be both safe and reliable to serve additional riders as well as to make the city attractive as a place to live, work, go to the office, visit, and do business in general. In contrast, if the subways aren’t safe people will want to stay home which will have extremely negative consequences across the board. We need to induce companies to move here, set up offices and hire employees who will be using the subway to commute into the city.
It’s a new year, and let’s see if we can move ahead with some new ideas to move NYC forward in 2025. Additional funding for subway safety which is essential to ensure the city’s ongoing vitality is a no-brainer. We want to progress, not regress.
Thank you,
Ruth Colp-Haber
