New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has announced a new $77 million plan to tackle subway crime, while the MTA has also begun installing “spikes” on some of its turnstiles to stop fare evaders who cost the transit agency hundreds of millions of dollars a year in lost revenue costs.
The new spike features consist of metal plates with sharp edges installed on handrails between turnstiles and are intended to prevent knockers from using the gate handrails for leverage while jumping.
But the pins aren’t very sharp, and evaders can still place their hands on the pins and jump over them – or just duck under the bars. The spikes have so far been installed at the Lexington Avenue 59th Street Station in Manhattan, which serves the N, R, W, 4, 5 and 6 trains.
New subway turnstile “spikes” have been pictured in New York City. (FOX 5 NEW YORK)
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Skipping payment is very easy, especially at metro stations that do not have high turnstiles. One rider told the New York Post the new peaks were “stupid and foolish” and a waste of money.
In addition, the MTA also spends about $1 million a month on private, unarmed security guards to deter money grabbers. Fox 5but the guards have no authority to arrest those who evade payment.
Hochul’s fare evasion plan focuses on installing more modern high-rise turnstiles at 40 stations, and it is unclear whether the rollout of surges at 59th Street is part of this plan.
Hochul said fare evaders cost the MTA about $700 million a year in lost revenue. About $500 million of that comes through the subway systemwhile the rest is attributed to the bus system.
“I’m saying it’s time to crack down on the shameless fare evaders who are so brazen that they just walk right through and others pay, they feel: why should I bother,” Hochul said at a meeting on Thursday press conference at Grand Central. its $77 million plan.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul reveals details of her plan to station hundreds of officers on New York City subways overnight on January 16, 2025. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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Overall crime Things are bad in the city, Hochul said, but recent high-profile incidents on public transportation have terrified ordinary strangers.
A Guatemalan illegal immigrant has been charged set a woman on fire and burned her on a subway train last month, while on New Year’s Eve a man was pushed in front of a moving train but miraculously survived.
There has been a surge in violence on the subway in recent weeks, and Hochul said an additional 750 police officers will patrol the subway system, on top of the 2,500 already assigned. Another 300 men will be deployed to board trains between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. These numbers are in addition to the estimated 1,000 National Guard troops assigned to the subway system.
“So essentially what this means is that we have doubled the number of law enforcement personnel at the airport New York City metro system in one year,” Hochul said.
A subway evader ducks under a turnstile, left, while another passenger swipes right to pay. (Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital)
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By the end of 2025, new metro edge barriers will also be installed on the platforms of more than 100 additional stations to prevent straphangers from falling or being pushed onto the tracks.
The Governor also announced funding to install LED lighting in all Metro stations across the system to increase visibility in the stations.
“Let’s go back to basics, they served their purpose,” Hochil said of the barriers. ‘They’re here. If someone wants to stand behind them as the train approaches, it gives you that feeling of security that every New Yorker deserves to have.
Hochul also said that a 24/7 “Welcome Center” near terminal stations will be expanded to create space for homeless people.
