I remember when the NYC subway wasn’t a total nightmare. I’ve been here long enough to see it go from bad to better, then completely fall apart again. Delays, derailments, overcrowding—they’ve all become the norm. And let’s not forget: people have been getting pushed onto tracks for years, but it’s only gotten worse. Sure, the odds of being attacked on the subway are still slim, but they’re a lot less slim than they used to be.
In 2019, there were 326 felony assaults through November—about one assault for every 5.2 million rides. Fast forward to 2024, and there were 521 assaults in the same period, but with 30% fewer rides. That’s now one assault for every 2.3 million rides.
Would you want to be one of the 521? Why is even one assault acceptable? This isn’t happening in cities all over the world. So why is it happening like this in NYC?
The system has been broken for years, and the MTA has done nothing to prove it can fix it. It has a long history of wasting money and making terrible decisions. Politicians slashed funding and diverted money to their pet projects, leaving the subway to rot. After decades of promises to upgrade, the MTA is still running 1930s technology. Instead of fixing the basics—like signals and tracks—it has blown billions on shiny new stations that didn’t add a single extra train or inch of track.
Now, Kathy Hochul is trying to sell congestion pricing as the solution. Tolls start at $9 but will jump to $12 and hit $15 by 2031. Does anyone honestly believe this money will fix anything? Based on the MTA’s track record, it will disappear into the same black hole of mismanagement.
So here’s the question: What’s the actual goal of this congestion tax? How will this money fix the subway for good? And if things somehow improve, will they ever eliminate the tolls—or is this just another permanent tax on New Yorkers?
From where I stand, it seems to be just another cash grab from an agency that has been failing New Yorkers for decades.
FYI: The video above was from 2018.
Clayton Craddock is a devoted father of two, an accomplished musician, and a thought-provoker dedicated to Socratic questioning, challenging the status quo, and encouraging a deeper contemplation on various issues. Subscribe to Think Things Through HERE, and for inquiries and to connect, email him here: Clayton@claytoncraddock.com.
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