In a somewhat grim bit of “good” news, MTA data shows serious ridership gains at key subway stations in the Midtown and Lower Manhattan office districts.
Ridership is up at the World Trade Center/Cortlandt stop (24%), Seventh Avenue (22%), 34th Street/Hudson Yards (20%), 7th Avenue/57th Street (15%), Wall Street (14%) and Fulton Street (11%).
That fits with findings from a Partnership for New York City survey of the city’s largest employers: The number of workers back in the office rose to 58% for Aug. 23-Sept. 15, up from 49% in the same period last year.
And nearly three-quarters of Manhattan office workers (72%) are back at their desks at least three days a week.
But that’s three days, not four — let alone five.
Indeed, The Post’s own crunching of MTA data shows that some of these stops are still significantly below 2019, pre-pandemic levels.
Which means that all the businesses that cater to office workers are wondering if this “new normal” is temporary — or permanent.
And city government has to fear that the resulting hit to the tax base (from taxes on those businesses and on now-depressed commercial real-estate values) won’t end anytime soon.
The best City Hall can do is focus on the recent trends that keep commuters reluctant to come in: crime (especially subway crime) and growing public disorder from out-of-control homeless to the ever-present reek of pot.
New York City was a great place to work before COVID and lockdown-mania hit; there’s no reason it can’t be even better in the near future.