Blaz: Ignore MTA, rails super safe

Come back to the subways, Mayor de Blasio urged New Yorkers on Tuesday as he scolded MTA officials for suggesting they are unsafe and that more cops are needed to curb crime.

“The MTA should be telling people it’s right to come back, not discourage them,” Hizzoner said during a ride on the No. 5 train between E. 125th St. in East Harlem and E. 86th St. on the Upper East Side.

“People, regular everyday New Yorkers, know that the subways are safe.”

The comment came as interim NYC Transit President Sarah Feinberg and other MTA leaders have called for more police in the subway to make riders feel safe as they return to their prepandemic commutes.

The MTA on Monday released a survey that found 73% of riders who hadn’t returned to the subway since the pandemic hit New York were concerned about “crime and harassment.”

De Blasio dismissed the survey, and pointed to other polls that found riders were less concerned about crime.

He said the MTA’s focus on deploying more cops into the subway played a role in keeping people from returning.

“If you look at the actual facts, subway crime is as low as it’s ever been,” he said. “I’d urge the MTA to work with us, not put down their own subways, but actually promote their own subways.”

De Blasio also said the 500plus extra cops the NYPD deployed into the subways last month was enough to make riders feel safe.

Subway turnstiles clocked 2 million trips last week for the first time since March 16, 2020, when the pandemic forced most aspects of public life in the city to close. Ridership still remains 65% lower than it was prepandemic.

The mayor commended the MTA’s efforts to keep the subway clean during the pandemic — an effort that’s already cost the agency at least $371 million.

De Blasio said the subways should remain closed from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. each night in order for subway cars to be cleaned — despite the fact the MTA continues to run trains on normal schedules during those hours.

“I think the two hours of cleaning is working. I think we need it for a while longer,” he said. “When we get people back in higher numbers, it’s a different discussion.”