'You do you' trainst mask guidance rankles some NYers with disabilities

Plus: Dangerous subway surfing is big on TikTok [FORWARD TO A FRIEND]( [VIEW IN BROWSER]( [DONATE]( [WNYC Politics Brief] Hochul's 'you do you' mask guidance rankles some New Yorkers with disabilities Plus: NYC Ferry rides are now $4 for most riders. Manhattan garage owners fear congestion pricing will hurt their business. And subway surfing has, unfortunately, gotten big ok TikTok. Sponsor Message[Ad: NYC Means Business. Click here to find options to help you shop your city.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- [a wheelchair user on a crowded subway train wearing a mask] Stephen Nessen Waiting in a motorized wheelchair for a subway in Flatbush, Brooklyn, Cara Liebowitz said she had one feeling when Gov. Kathy Hochul [dropped the mask mandate]( on public transportation and shared a cheeky MTA poster with new guidance that stated, "You do you." "I was honestly horrified," Liebowitz recalled. "Your decision could seriously disable or kill somebody from COVID. People are still dying from COVID and getting long COVID." [the MTA's mask telling riders that masks are optional] MTA Health experts, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, [still recommend that people wear masks on transit](. People with weakened immune systems and senior citizens could also be put at risk by the new guidance. Johns Hopkins University estimates about one in 16 U.S. adults is immunocompromised. Hochul’s decision to drop the mandate came despite pleas from the Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled to keep it in place, said Joe Rappaport, the group’s executive director. He said his nonprofit had met with the state Health Department, the MTA, and the governor’s office prior to Hochul’s announcement last week. "The MTA told me, 'Well, the [health] commissioner endorsed this, so what’s the problem?'" Rappaport said. "And obviously that’s ridiculous, this was a political decision, not a decision that protects the health of transit riders." State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett agreed with dropping the mandate, but said the public should keep an eye on the number of COVID cases. "We urge people to pay attention to their community level," she said. Some experts believe if there’s another surge in cases during the winter, it could be harder to get the public to mask up again. “You said, 'You do you,' or you said, ‘It doesn’t really matter,' so it’s not really looking at the long-term effects," said Bruce Y. Lee, a professor at CUNY’s School of Public Health. People who use the MTA’s Access-a-Ride program feel particularly vulnerable now. Many of the customers are elderly or have a disability that puts them at high risk for COVID-19 complications, and they worry that being in a vehicle with an unmasked driver could expose them to the virus. "This truly makes me feel like the city and state don’t care about disabled lives. Not all of us can simply stay home," said Eman Rimawi-Doster, the Access-A-Ride Campaign coordinator and organizer with New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. "Wearing a mask hurts no one," she said. "And I’m going to keep doing it because I care about my neighbors and also myself. I wish our government showed the same care." — [Reporting by Stephen Nessen]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Sponsor Message [Ad: NYC Means Business. Click here to find options to help you shop your city.] --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- NYC Ferry riders are now $4 for most riders [the NYC Ferry cruises past lower Manhattan] Ablokhin/Getty As of Monday, single rides for passengers on the city-owned NYC Ferry system [now cost $4]( up from $2.75. New Yorkers with disabilities, senior citizens and anyone currently enrolled in the city’s Fair Fares program, which provides discounted MetroCards for low-income residents, are eligible for further discounted rides of $1.35. Commuters can also buy 10-packs of tickets for $27.50, though all those rides would need to be taken within 90 days of purchase. The changes are part of an effort to rein in spending by NYC Ferry, which has operated in the red since its creation by former Mayor Bill de Blasio. City Hall estimates the changes in ticket price will bring the city an additional $2 million in revenue, though that will only make a small dent on the operating deficit, which was pegged at $37 million last fiscal year. With Hornblower's contract to run the NYC Ferry system set to expire next year, [the city announced last week that it's accepting bids from potential operators]( who could rely less on public subsidies. — [Reporting by Gwynne Hogan]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- Here's what else is happening NYC Ferry, taxis and ride share companies dropped their masking requirements after the MTA's decision to do so. Uber, the Taxi & Limousine Commission and NYC Ferry all said they still recommend that passengers wear masks. ([Gothamist]( Manhattan garage owners have joined the chorus of congestion pricing naysayers. Garage companies worry that commuters who currently drive into the city and spend hundreds of dollars a month to park will start taking mass transit when congestion pricing takes effect. ([THE CITY]( One group that should maybe get a "discount" from the currently proposed congestion pricing fees: Truck drivers. Traffic expert Sam Schwartz argues that in order to incentivize truck drivers to not head north and cut across the Cross Bronx Expressway, truck drivers shouldn't be charged more than 2.2 times what car drivers are charged. ([Streetsblog]( The MTA says that dangerous subway surfing incidents have spiked 440% since 2020, a trend likely driven by pandemic-induced boredom and teenagers posting this stuff on TikTok. "We were going viral," one 15-year-old subway surfer said. "Other kids wanted to be like us." ([AM New York]( A bunch of Manhattan streets are closed right now because the UN General Assembly is underway. Here's the complete list of street closures set to remain in effect through September 27th. ([PIX11]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- And Finally: You do you, London [a video of RIP Queen screens all over the London tube]( [@scottygb/Twitter]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- [Ad: NYC Means Business. Click here to find options to help you shop your city.]( Sponsor Message Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential election coverage and more. [DONATE]( [Facebook]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Instagram]( [WNYC]( [WQXR]( [NJPR]( [GOTHAMIST]( [WNYC STUDIOS]( [THE GREENE SPACE]( Copyright © New York Public Radio. 160 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 All rights reserved. [Terms of Use.]( Want to change how you receive these emails? 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