Forces of decay still rule NYC

Another victory for the forces of decay tearing New York City: tramps, mockers and rowdy teenagers already plague the MTA’s new, futuristic subway cars.

As reported by The Post’s Matthew Sedacca, a walkthrough on Tuesday found “three homeless men and a junkie” in “varying states of consciousness in four of the 10 swanky cars” on the $27 million train. “One man was beside himself, muttering to himself, and others stretched out on benches to take a nap during rush hour.”

It seems that the homeless prefer the new cars because they are better heated than older models.

Too bad the trains can stink. “It still smells bad and there’s still someone in the seat,” commented one passenger. “I was definitely hoping for better.”

Also featured: “A group of teenagers in the gap between two cars, hanging their arms under the moving train to absorb the sound of the wheels.”

The Post also observed smoking (tobacco and weed), beer drinking, and other illegal behavior on subways.

Earlier in the week, the new train made headlines when another pack of teenagers pulled an autistic boy, 15, out of a car and beat him on the platform while shouting racist epithets.

“You can have the best device on the subway, but if you don’t have the level of security to guard passengers, then what’s the point?” asked Charlton D’souza of transit advocacy group Passengers United.

Mind you, the NYPD (with financial support from Gov. Kathy Hochul) has has managed to eliminate subway disruption in recent months by paying overtime for an increased underground police presence.

But OT is only sustainable for so long; Cops need to sleep and have a private life. In addition, the troupe is faced with record departures.

And, as Nicole Gelinas notes, subway crime quiet is not back to where it was in 2019, and likely won’t be unless the legislature finally agrees to serious fixes to its ill-fated criminal justice “reforms.”

New Yorkers elected Mayor Eric Adams to bring crime and disorder under and over the earth, and he’s trying. (As does MTA management: the new trains have lots of cameras and other features that should thrust Security.)

But the forces of disorder still have plenty of supporters in Albany, in the city council and in the district attorney’s offices. It seems certain that voters will have to “vote” a lot more to achieve the change they want.

Until politicians get the message, as Sedacca notes, “we can’t have nice things.”