MTA rolls out new safety measures to keep riders safe

The MTA announced this week that it agreed to install protective barriers on platforms at three stations as part of a pilot. This comes after public pressure following the death of Michelle Go in Times Square, who was pushed into an oncoming train in January. But the agency has more immediate ways to keep riders safe.

The platform screen door pilot could take years to launch, and at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars. And it may not even be easily replicated across the system with so many different types of stations and subway cars to factor in.

In the meantime, the MTA says it’s already doing other things-like using its current surveillance cameras to monitor for trouble—before a crime occurs. The agency is doing this at 22 stations now.

It's also looking into installing soothing blue lights at stations, which have been shown to prevent suicides. There have been nine suicides in the subway so far this year.