Anguished MTA officials yesterday called on straphangers to take one simple step to protect themselves while waiting for trains: Don’t stand by the edge of the platform.
That was the warning outgoing MTA boss Joe Lhota delivered yesterday after a crazed woman pushed a man to his death in front of a 7 train in Queens — the second such tragedy in a month.
“Stay back from the edge. I encourage everyone to call 911 immediately [if straphangers see an unstable person],’’ Lhota said.
Lhota and subway chief Tom Prendergast said there are no easy solutions for the transit system in dealing with deranged pushers.
“I do know that we do have emotionally disturbed in the city. I do know we don’t have the ability to prevent them from going into the subway system,” Lhota said.
Prendergast told The Post, of pushing deaths: “They are what they are. There are 8 million people in the city and 15 million in the region. We have to deal with it.”
Lhota, who steps down as MTA chairman next week to consider a bid to run for mayor, said the transit agency “will look at all possible alternatives” to improve safety, but he added, “I don’t think this could be solved by spending more money in the subway system.”
He noted the stations are old and cannot easily be reconfigured to restrict access to the tracks from platforms.
He said that transit officials will work with the police on ideas of shove prevention but that the best answer for now is: Be vigilant.
“All of us at the MTA feel terrible about what happened. It’s unfortunate. Our hearts go out to the families of the victim,” Lhota said.
“We will work closely with the NYPD to apprehend the person who did this.”