Sarah Feinberg at the 34th Street-Penn Station stop.
Photographer: Dina Litovsky for Bloomberg GreenTo Save the New York Subway, Send in the Crowds
To meet President Biden’s climate goals, America’s lowly public transit has to be better than ever. Can NYC lead the way by convincing commuters trains and buses are safe from Covid-19 and crime?
For New York City subway riders, each trip is its own odyssey. Especially in the pandemic, there’s the rush to the station, the tense wait on the platform. The quest for a seat, always a delicate matter, is made more so by the need to socially distance. Straphangers must endure panhandlers and the fear of being confined underground if there’s a delay. Upon arriving at their appointed station, is it any wonder they dash for the street?
The last thing riders want to encounter is someone standing in their path, seeking their attention. So the eyes of travelers who’ve just stepped off trains widen with apprehension when they come upon Sarah Feinberg standing in the middle of a dank corridor in downtown Brooklyn’s busy Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center station. The interim president of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s subway and bus division waves at them. “Hi,” she shouts. “Anybody want a mask?”