You are reading

MTA Slams Civic Group and Council Members Over Calls to Shutdown Subway

Stock Photo: Unsplash

April 26, 2020 By Michael Dorgan

A Manhattan-based civic group has called on President Donald Trump to shut down the subway system to protect riders from rising crime and COVID-19.

The group, the Central Park South Civic Association, is making its request a week after four council members—including three from Queens—urged the MTA to shut down the subway for a week citing crowded, filthy trains.

The CPSCA is calling for Trump to close it, since the MTA has refused to do so.  The group argues that riders are at great risk of contracting COVID-19, noting that the trains are overcrowded—stemming from reduced service– and that there is a rise in the number of homeless using them.

“Residents are fearful that the subway is causing the deadly coronavirus to spread throughout the city and boroughs,” the group president Michael Fischer said Thursday.

Fischer said that homeless people are heading to the subways for safety in big numbers, believing that shelters are hotspots for the virus. Homeless people, he argues, are more likely to contract and spread COVID-19 because they have weaker immune systems and don’t have access to sanitizers and other items to keep clean.

As of Sunday, 55 people who are part of the shelter system have died, according to the city’s Department of Social Services.

Fischer argues that the subway system has also seen an uptick in crime—putting essential workers at risk. For instance, the MTA reported that there were 51 robberies across the subway system in March despite the reduced service, compared to 33 in March 2019.

“This is a very unsafe environment and is putting medical staff and first responders who ride the system at risk,” he said.

The CPSCA, a civic group that advocates for public safety, said the current problem with the homeless population falls at the feet of the mayor. Fischer said that the mayor should have provided adequate facilities for them to stay when the outbreak began.

Fischer said the subway should have been shut down weeks ago and frontline workers should have been put up in hotels and bused to work.

On Thursday an MTA spokesperson slammed the CPSCAs suggestion in a tweet saying it was a “dumb idea” and took a shot at the four council members who also called for the closing—albeit temporary.

Queens Council Members Robert Holden, Eric Ulrich, Peter Koo – as well as by Bronx Council Member Mark Gjonaj were the four lawmakers who called for its temporary closing, citing the need for the MTA to clean trains, buses and stations.

Council Member Holden called the MTA’s spokesperson’s comments shameful and said the MTA should get its priorities straight before shunning the views of city residents.

“As a former civic leader myself, these voices give important insight into what our city residents are feeling,” Holden said.

Holden also criticized the MTA, arguing that the agency has not looked after its workers. As of Friday, the MTA reported that 84 employees had died as a result of COVID-19.

“The agency has failed to protect its workers and can’t even make sure there is soap and running water in its employee bathrooms,” Holden said.

Holden reiterated his calls for the system to close temporarily.

“The filth on the subways, the homeless taking up entire trains, and the failure to enforce the governor’s mandate to wear masks on mass transit are all contributing to the spread of COVID-19,” he said.

“I believe we can safely shut down the MTA [subway system] temporarily to resolve the problems we are seeing with homelessness and overcrowding while providing alternative transportation for our essential workers.”

However, the MTA insists that the subways should remain open to make sure that essential workers can get to their place of employment.

“What these council members don’t realize is that shutting down mass transit during this unprecedented crisis would be dangerous and could lead to even more deaths,” a spokesperson for the agency said.

“Even with subway ridership down more than 90 percent, we are making it possible for doctors, nurses, first responders, grocery and pharmacy workers, and other essential personnel to get to work and save lives.”

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Fall fun in western Queens: Your guide to the best seasonal events

Aug. 29, 2025 By Jessica Militello

With beach days and summer BBQs behind us, the start of September rings in the start of magnificent Fall foliage, Halloween and more fun activities that come with the start of Autumn, including a list of Fall events in the area. From apple picking to seasonal ciders and more, there is tons to explore in the community. From Mystic Markets to scary movie meet-ups and more, here is a list of Fall events you do not want to miss.

A hidden gem in Sunnyside: Bistro Punta Sal blends Peruvian and Italian flavors

Aug. 29, 2025 By Jessica Militello

On a quiet street in Sunnyside, Bistro Punta Sal has its French doors wide open, letting the late August breeze emanate throughout the space, which is ornate with flowers, paintings and an array of tables and chairs for intimate dinners with friends or a romantic date night. The cozy restaurant, located at 45-51 46th St., is a hidden gem in the neighborhood that is just waiting to be discovered, as the sights and aromas of the restaurant invite guests in. 

Off-duty paramedic spots South Richmond Hill two-alarm house fire that injures nine firefighters, two civilians on Friday morning: FDNY

Nine firefighters were injured, two of them seriously, and two civilians sustained minor injuries during a two-alarm house fire in South Richmond Hill on Friday morning, but it could have been worse if not for the actions of an off-duty veteran EMT.

Paramedic Craig Biscuiti was driving to work when he noticed a column of thick black smoke and heavy flames coming from the first floor of a two-story home at 95-36 111th St. just before 7:10 a.m.

Astoria doctor sentenced to more than two decades in prison for rape and sexual abuse: DA

An Astoria doctor was sentenced to 24 years in prison on Thursday in Queens Supreme Court for raping unconscious acquaintances and sexually abusing hospital patients.

Dr. Zhi Alan Cheng, 35, of Broadway, pleaded guilty on June 30 to four counts of rape in the first degree and three counts of sexual abuse in the first degree in satisfaction of the consolidated indictments against him. He additionally entered an Alford plea to one count of sexual abuse. The defendant — a former gastroenterologist at New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital — recorded the abuse of his unconscious victims with his cell phone in both his Astoria apartment and at the hospital.