The one technology that will make New York City’s subways safer – The Markup

What's wrong, world? It's a fake.

I often take the subway here in New York City. Shuttle to and from uptown visits with family, downtown museum trips and dinners with friends, and cross-borough appointments and shopping trips.

I am very fortunate that I have never been a victim of violent crime while traveling underground. This is a little anecdote that probably means little to anyone who's been following subway news lately. In the last month alone, subways have been home to a rush-hour shooting, multiple stabbings, and other incidents of random assault.

These horrific incidents prompted a dramatic response from government authorities. Early last month, Gov. Cathy Hochul ordered 750 National Guard troops to board subways and screen bags at busy stations. Mayor Eric Adams added 800 more officers to the system.

Of course, the perception of safety is important here, but it is important to say that the subway system is relatively safe based on the available evidence. More than 3 million passengers board trains every day, and the vast majority do so without incident. A recent New York Times analysis of his mid-2022 data found that there was roughly one violent crime for every million subway rides. Since then, the Times reported, “overall crime rates have fallen, ridership has increased, and people are even less likely to be victims of violent crime.”

Mayor Adams and the NYPD also report that the subway system is becoming safer. On Wednesday, the New York City Police Department announced a decline in subway crime, saying overall traffic crime fell by nearly 24 percent in the first quarter of 2024. Officials attribute the decrease in reported incidents to the addition of police officers working the transit system.

“It's very encouraging to see tangible results from our efforts. The investments we're making are clearly paying dividends,” NYPD Commissioner Edwin Caban said in a statement. Ta. “We pledge to maintain a sharp focus on perpetrators of crime, day and night, at every station, on every train, to improve transport safety and security awareness. That’s what New Yorkers expect and deserve.”

Part of that investment includes Adams' embrace of crime-fighting technology. Last week, Mr. Adams announced that the city would pilot gun detectors (yes, they're a lot like metal detectors, except they're for guns) in the subway. The effort is the latest in a series of technological solutions that Adams, a former police officer, is exploring for subway safety. Last September, Adams announced a pilot program with Nightscope, a company that makes autonomous security robots, in the busiest area of ​​Times Square. There are 472 subway stations. The robot weighs over 400 pounds and is equipped with a camera to record images and video. It also has a call button for reporting accidents.

Crime-fighting technology like robots and gun detectors aside, there's one technology that I'm convinced will make subways safer. That means installing a fence at the edge of the platform.

Just last week, a man was pushed onto the tracks in Harlem in front of an oncoming train on Platform 4. Police maintain that the deadly attack was unintentional. And this week I heard from a colleague that another person had been hit by a train earlier in the day.

This is what I thought. In 2024, why aren't authorities investing in technology that makes it harder to push people in front of trains or prevents suicide deaths on the tracks?

To its credit, the New York State-controlled MTA released a sprawling 3,920-page report in February 2020 on its years-long platform door feasibility study. The width of the station platform, the space for disabled people, and the number of vehicles were revealed. Type, height restrictions, and structural integrity of the platform edges are factors that complicate full platform screen deployment in these older systems. The agency estimates the system-wide feasibility of the platform door program at 27%, or 128 of 472 stations.

Price is also an issue. The agency's study found that the total cost of installing full-height gates at these 128 stations would be more than $7 billion, while half-height gates would cost $6.53 billion. Once in place, government agencies must spend more than $119 million each year to maintain the doors.

Currently, the closest thing to a subway fare gate in the city is a metal screen installed at a Manhattan station earlier this year. These fences are bolted to the ground and are not mechanically operated. Because they do not slide open and close, they can fall or be thrown through open spaces at the edge of the platform. Sadly, in a timeline where gun detectors and giant robots may one day patrol the underground, these bars are the best tool we have to curb avoidable subway fatalities. It seems to be.

thank you for reading! As always, if you have any comments, please contact us at ese@themarkup.org.

Ese Olmhense
investigative reporter
markup