Generally the NYC subway puts you into closer contact with crazy people than you would get normally. It’s like the bus here in Seattle and Link train, a lot of people don’t ride them because they don’t feel safe with all crazy people riding them…only a few people get killed by these people a year but it still discourages ridership. (Note that neither Seattle nor NYC are known for homicide, so murders like these are really notable)
And yet the subway is safer in NYC than any other mode of travel. So it turns out that everyone's fear of each other is not only stupid, but actively harmful
Yes, but still a bit less crazies murdering people will always be nice and appreciated. Mobile homeless sheltering isn’t sustainable if you want other people to use transit.
and, almost more importantly, NYC could not exist as it does without public transit. It would simply not function. The alternative to NYC having mass transit is not "everyone gets to drive to Manhattan in their cars."
This is a common form of Gaslighting. The issue is clearly less about the rate than it is the agency. However true, when e.g. driving we feel a degree of agency, i.e. "If I drive defensively and pay attention my chances of an accident are small". Being in an enclosed space with somebody more physically powerful than you leaves you with very little (if any) ability to do anything about the situations that arise.
Sure but that sense of agency can also give you a false sense of security. It’s impossible to drive perfectly when you are for example tired, and it’s impossible to not be tired sometimes, if driving is your main form of transportation and you’re driving back from parties and events and your day job. You can also be defensive on the subway by avoiding cars with crazy people.
The issue is not about the agency. It's absolutely about the rate. More death = more problems for our entire society. I mean, you say "it's not about the rate," but how about you tell that to my friend who's husband was killed by a bad driver while he was just minding his business riding his bike? How about you tell that to their two kids?
We've defended ourselves with our own two hands for millennia and done just fine. Meanwhile how the hell are you gonna defend yourself when someone veers into your lane at the last second and insta-ganks you with a head on crash?
I'm sorry your friend went through that. I've gone through that as well (a sibling). However distraught we are it doesn't change our perceptions, actual and not, about driving and our agency in it. And it ignores that for most of us, driving is also more pleasant and more convenient. In Austin I took the train to work daily for three years. It was awesome. But it was slower and more expensive than driving, despite the train stops being a 5 minute walk from my home and office. It would be even less convenient for others. Also I had to go back home once because I sat in someone's pee. It was busy enough that I never felt unsafe, but when I take the train in Portland, I have at times been one of the only non homeless people on it. These experiences matter. The (perceived) safety is just another factor on top.
