New York City Transit will not implement an ad campaign to fight subway groping that it already began working on after a study found some 10 percent of women who ride the subway are fondled by strangers.

While this has never happened to us, and we would like our status to remain that way, we've witnessed it, heard about it, and get creeped out by it. More so than the guy who always seems to be peeing at Herald Square.

So if the city was concerned enough to study the matter, how come they're not behind their own public awareness campaign to stop it?

Because of concerns these ads might actually encourage more groping.

Sources said the agency held off on launching the campaign out of fear it could actually provoke deviant behavior.

That move has baffled some, including Oraia Reid of RightRides, an anti-harassment organization that offers free, late-night rides home to women. "What evidence is there that a public-education campaign would provoke offenders to act or would increase the chance of crimes occurring?" Reid said.

"A comprehensive educational campaign with the full support of the MTA and the NYPD behind it would indeed help make our subways safer by informing subway riders that sexual harassment and assault is a reality [and] by letting perverts and offenders know that they are going to be held accountable for their crimes."

By that logic, then, wouldn't the "See something, say something" campaign have led to increased crime in the tunnels? Maybe, to prevent the ad campaign from indirectly advocating sexual harassment, it just needs a catchy slogan.

A similar campaign in Boston (pictured here) uses taglines like "Rub against me and I'll expose you" and "Flash someone and you'll be exposed." Not very catchy.

Perhaps something more direct might do the trick, then, like, "Touch my boobs and I'll have a cop castrate you," "Grabbing my ass is an invitation to kick you in the balls," or, "There's a good chance I'm a MTF transgender, and I've got half a mind to bend you over and make you my bitch."

[NYP]