Subways: NYC vs London

Because I live in Baldwin WI population 2300 and shop in the suburbs of Saint Paul, I don't have much to do with subways on a day to day basis. But I can't imagine getting around here any other way.
Subways are easy because they're an abstraction; they're distilled so all that remains is the essence of getting from one place to another.
We used the Tube in London a lot when we were there in 2006. Here are a few points of comparison:
Pricing: NYC wins - $2 gets you anywhere anytime. I don't remember all the details about the London experience, but I remember not being able to ride before 9 in the morning and having to buy extended passes when we went to the Zoo.
Signs: London, hands down. Every stop and every train had large maps with the line laid out like a beaded strand. There was never any question where you were or where you were headed. In New York, it's easy to know where you are - I love the mosaic markers - but I find the descriptions to be cryptic. Plus I miss the 'Mind the Gap' warnings.
Cleanliness: a draw. How they keep either system reasonably clean is a mystery, but they do.
The feeling of safety: NYC; maybe because our London base was in the seedy neighborhood near King's Cross Station and maybe because one morning when we were going into the station we met people pouring out of it because of a security clearance and maybe because I was traveling there with two tweens and here with two adult men, I feel safer on the subway here.