If Janno Lieber believes that gaslighting New Yorkers will solve subway issues, it’s just wishful thinking.

I’ve always dreamt of riding in a cab.

As a child wandering the streets of New York City, those iconic yellow cabs seemed alluring yet completely unattainable for me.

My parents wouldn’t even consider it. “Why take a cab when you can just use the subway?” they’d argue. The convenience, cost-effectiveness, and prime chance for people-watching were unbeatable.

I grew up near the Jersey Shore, but my parents hailed from the city, having lived downtown until my father “dragged” my mother south. Most of our family still resided in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens, and we made frequent trips. My aunt’s home in Bensonhurst felt like my second home, with the F train at Avenue P being my lifeline.

Even after moving to suburban living, my mother remained a staunch advocate for the subway. Everyone consulted her for navigating the city.

During high school, two Japanese exchange students attended my school, and my mother sought them out at a football game to ensure their host families took them to the city. Since they weren’t, my parents stepped in. We caught the F train at Avenue P, delighting in their joy as we traversed Brooklyn and arrived at Rockefeller Center.

A decade ago, my mother moved back downtown and slipped seamlessly into her transit routines. However, as the subway deteriorated during COVID, her usage decreased.

But last Saturday, I was taken aback when she mapped out a convoluted route to Port Authority. It was unnecessarily complicated, primarily above ground, wasting a lot of time. “Why not just take the nearest trains?” I asked. “Kirsten, those stations make me uneasy,” she replied.

This spirited woman, who had tirelessly promoted the MTA across Jersey for years, was now avoiding the very transportation form that once appealed to her.

Just days later, a dismissive MTA chief Janno Lieber remarked, “Some of these high-profile incidents, you know, terrible attacks have gotten in people’s heads and made the whole system feel unsafe.”

Excuse me?

According to the Manhattan Institute, there were 11 murders on the subway last year—an alarming high for the 21st Century. By a stroke of luck, it wasn’t 12 after an innocent man was pushed in front of a train on New Year’s Eve by 23-year-old Kamel Hawkins.

The 11th murder was the horrific fire of a woman by an illegal migrant. Last month, there was also the double stabbing in Grand Central, along with Jamar Banks—who has 54 prior arrests—stabbing two straphangers last week. And the list continues.

We mustn’t forget how much random crime goes unreported, as the public has grown desensitized to such disorder.

Lieber’s remarks were akin to telling a subway vagrant to urinate on your leg and claiming it’s just rain.

This unsettling perception isn’t merely an illusion. I recall a time when just one “high-profile incident” rallied New Yorkers, politicians, and agency leaders to ensure nothing like it occurred again—not to shrug off the many that followed.

The subway was never flawless, but there was a shared understanding that public safety superseded the comfort of lawbreakers. Crime was confronted; laws were upheld.

Now, trains and platforms have become filthy, malodorous, and unsanitary, transforming into a grand slumber party for the city’s most disturbed. We’ve surrendered it to the worst elements of society.

I ride the subway daily out of necessity, always on high alert, balancing between minding my own business and staying vigilant in the presence of a potential threat.

It’s frustrating to pay for such dysfunction and witness, day after day, individuals in freshly ironed work attire breaching the turnstiles as if they’ve been trained by a gymnastics coach.

For many years, the subway was clean, operational, and secure, and we took it for granted. Now, it seems no one knows how to restore the conditions we’ve squandered.

Meanwhile, Lieber and Kathy Hochul see it as the perfect moment to advocate for congestion pricing while providing New Yorkers with a diminished service (who must have faith that the MTA will handle those funds wisely).

In advance, Hochul utilized the subway for a photo op to promote its safety while Lieber informs us that fear is just a figment of our imagination.

Perhaps they should heed former Mayor Ed Koch’s famous inquiry, “How’m I doing?”

In his arrogance, Mr. Lieber wouldn’t stoop to asking, but I’ll extend this offer: You have lost individuals like me and my mother—New Yorkers who championed the subway and regarded it as an essential and exhilarating aspect of city life.

Denial won’t mend the subway, but listening to those who cherish it would be a worthwhile first step.