Some odd suggestions from the NYT team... most of them are either unworkable without big investments (driverless trains? Maybe in 20 years when new trains and signals exist) or will very quickly become useless (hand sanitizer? You really think those dispensers will survive long or be kept filled?!)
My suggestions is simply to make what we've got work and run as well as possible. That means fixing all PA systems in all cars, enforcing rules against anti-social behavior (including door holding and eating/drinking), making sure control rooms actually communicate with drivers and conductors so we get information instead of being kept in the dark as we sit, stationary, in a tunnel, etc.
It would be nice to get some new lighting in some of the older trains, which would be a relatively quick and cheap fix. Power outlets? Probably easy to implement, but I'm not sure there will ever be enough or that they'll function for more than a few weeks. Most of my wish-list, alas, will require huge,. long-term investment in modern signalling and trains to implement. Even the "next train" countdown signs at stations, which have long existed on pretty much every subway system I've ever used outside the US (and most in the US), cannot be implemented on many lines without a lot of infrastructure modernization.
My suggestions is simply to make what we've got work and run as well as possible. That means fixing all PA systems in all cars, enforcing rules against anti-social behavior (including door holding and eating/drinking), making sure control rooms actually communicate with drivers and conductors so we get information instead of being kept in the dark as we sit, stationary, in a tunnel, etc.
It would be nice to get some new lighting in some of the older trains, which would be a relatively quick and cheap fix. Power outlets? Probably easy to implement, but I'm not sure there will ever be enough or that they'll function for more than a few weeks. Most of my wish-list, alas, will require huge,. long-term investment in modern signalling and trains to implement. Even the "next train" countdown signs at stations, which have long existed on pretty much every subway system I've ever used outside the US (and most in the US), cannot be implemented on many lines without a lot of infrastructure modernization.
How about some law enforcement? People having chicken wings for breakfast, pole dancers, musicians, man spreaders, homeless people with their shopping carts and foul smells........ a city like NYC visited by so many tourists annually deserves better than that.
These are terrible ideas. What they need to do is shut the doors after 30 seconds and use the MTA Platform Controllers to prevent anyone from holding the door open. This will reduce dwell times, a major factor in transit delays.
Sheer brilliance from urban-savvy NYT reporters and editors. I love the idea of quiet cars. The NYPD could enforce it (but with "silencers," I trust). Make the subway more like the DC–Boston Acela ride! And with hand sanitizer and power outlets! Maybe have some writing/riding fellowships a la Amtrak, too -- set up David Brooks, Bret Stephens, et al., down there and see what come up with next.
I truley believe we need to learn from cities like Hong Kong, Tokyo or Shanghi. Their Subays are Clean, On time, Safe and allow more room for passengers. This has been done in other cities in the world. So it can be done in NYC. It is shameful that we have not been a leader in these types of infastructure.
5
I'm all for learning from other cities, but we also have to consider differences in culture, diversity of groups, and respect for authority. Those cities may have more people using the subway system, I don't know, but the riders are very different from New Yorkers.
4
The Canada Line subway extension in Vancouver, Canada was ostensively built to deal with the increased traffic created by the 2010 Winter Olympics. But when all those people departed we were left with an amazing piece of infrastructure. We don't always get things right because we are just as susceptible to route-placement politics and cost overruns as any city, but the Canada Line serves us well.
No drivers, short waits, count-down displays, few delays, a fully electronic card system (that one took awhile), and someone is keeping those cars pretty clean. Come see it yourself. Fly to Vancouver. After customs, follow the signs to the Canada Line subway station. Take the Canada Line as far as it goes -- to the Waterfront Station on the far side of the downtown core. Return to the airport. Repeat as necessary being sure to take the spur into Richmond city at least once.
Ride it, study it, take pictures and notes, but mostly talk to those of us who find any excuse to use it.
No drivers, short waits, count-down displays, few delays, a fully electronic card system (that one took awhile), and someone is keeping those cars pretty clean. Come see it yourself. Fly to Vancouver. After customs, follow the signs to the Canada Line subway station. Take the Canada Line as far as it goes -- to the Waterfront Station on the far side of the downtown core. Return to the airport. Repeat as necessary being sure to take the spur into Richmond city at least once.
Ride it, study it, take pictures and notes, but mostly talk to those of us who find any excuse to use it.
2
They don't have to go to the Canada Line, which was built via a terrible contracting procedure. The same technology is running today at JFK Airport in NYC.
1
You want examples of subways? Visit Shanghai or Beijing (larger and carry more rides per day than NYC's). How about subways with uninterrupted cell phone and WIFI service in the tunnels. Service to the airports and in SH's case inter airport service. Safety gates nearly standard. Oh... much much less expensive.
3
Just prioritize safety and adding more trains. Get that right first; have corporations sponsor free WiFi and the other niceties.
4
They have to buy more trains first!
Sunday's Yankees game vs Astros is on YES. You list a channel "RSTW" which doesn't exist here in NY. The closest match I could find is "RTSW" which is probably a station in the southwest carrying Astros games.
New signal system desperately needed but it's the kind of modernization no one sees. Along with allocating money for a rapid project implementation, hire a PR firm to explain, promote, get public support for it. Can new signals be sexy?
2
They can if their impact is touted... more trains, less overcrowding, less waiting in tunnels, more "next train" countdown signs on platforms etc.
HOME, FREE HOME
I invited you
And you say, "What!"
Look, it's just
A starter squat.
I invited you
And you say, "What!"
Look, it's just
A starter squat.
1
PICTURE IMPERFECT
Tattoos cover my arms and legs,
And I thought i had the costs all aced,
Since the artist charged a mere ten bucks
(But it's an arm & a leg when I need them erased).
Tattoos cover my arms and legs,
And I thought i had the costs all aced,
Since the artist charged a mere ten bucks
(But it's an arm & a leg when I need them erased).
1
Add two new stations atop existing lines: 10 Av and 42 St on the 7; York and 63 on the F. The former is in an area booming with apartment construction, the later close to the many jobs at the hospitals and research facilities. Find an inventive way to fund these initiatives: special taxing districts, grant from NYC, even crowdsourcing.
1
Someone was negative on the idea of expanding the Second Ave subway. You should note that this route is incredibly powerful in the way that it sweeps west then east. You can get from UES to Times Square, Herald Square, Rock Center in no time. What was once difficult is now a pleasure.
4
Obviously the delays and breakdowns of the trains is most important. But enforcing the rule where it is prohibited to eat on the subway would go a long way towards cleanliness. Most metros that outlaw eating on the trains are immaculate. Go to DC just for a quick example.
Quiet cars would be great as well.
Quiet cars would be great as well.
5
The pain
In Gotham
Stays mainly
On the train.
In Gotham
Stays mainly
On the train.
1
I attended the "Genius" conference and was sorely disappointed.
First of all, the MTA spent an hour checking ID.
Second, they packed close to 1,000 people into an area that appeared to not meet fire safety rules (but they're a state agency - like the Port Authority, they do as they like). Fire exit signs were not lit, there was no Fire Safety Director at the control panel.
Third, and most significant, they failed to identify any specific point of failure. Yes, they said that they would like a signal system that allowed them to run more trains per hour, but not a word about why the system breaks down. Is it wires, relays, trippers?
In terms of train breakdowns, doors are the most frequent cause. But what fails? Motors? Locks? Door position sensors? Not a word.
In typical MTA fashion, much money spent for window dressing, but the Emporor wore no clothes. On the other hand, in private discussions, Ronnie Hakim and senior engineers did seem to understand the system's issues.
First of all, the MTA spent an hour checking ID.
Second, they packed close to 1,000 people into an area that appeared to not meet fire safety rules (but they're a state agency - like the Port Authority, they do as they like). Fire exit signs were not lit, there was no Fire Safety Director at the control panel.
Third, and most significant, they failed to identify any specific point of failure. Yes, they said that they would like a signal system that allowed them to run more trains per hour, but not a word about why the system breaks down. Is it wires, relays, trippers?
In terms of train breakdowns, doors are the most frequent cause. But what fails? Motors? Locks? Door position sensors? Not a word.
In typical MTA fashion, much money spent for window dressing, but the Emporor wore no clothes. On the other hand, in private discussions, Ronnie Hakim and senior engineers did seem to understand the system's issues.
7
Train breakdowns are more or less flat over the recent historical timeframe. They have only an indirect impact on the overal service reliability. Forget about doors.
That's ridiculous. They cram many more people into Hammerstein Ballroom during a rock concert than they did during this event.
Ronnie Hakim was certainly the most well spoken of the bunch, and demonstrated more knowledge of the issues, but almost no one at NYC Transit anywhere up or down the organization, or nearly anyone outside the system for that matter, understands the system's issues. Almost no one. It is the blind leading the blind. Breakdowns have nothing to do with it.
Ronnie Hakim was certainly the most well spoken of the bunch, and demonstrated more knowledge of the issues, but almost no one at NYC Transit anywhere up or down the organization, or nearly anyone outside the system for that matter, understands the system's issues. Almost no one. It is the blind leading the blind. Breakdowns have nothing to do with it.
hand sanitizer and quiet cars? Buy your own, get headphones, or take a cab. Improving the signals and creating a system that accurately times train arrivals is more important than our sense of comfort and personal sanitation. Unfortunately this is the problem when you let infrastructure age. Just like it's illegal to defund the police or other essential city services, the subways should have a dedicated maintenance budget outside of so called "capital plans" which only cover a political cycle. Remove the bridges, highways, and tunnels from the subway budget because I can't drive my car on the tracks so why should the tracks pay for your roads?
12
Visit Beijing, China. See, feel, hear, and experience what it's like to ride in a comfortable, efficient, affordable, clean, safe, and reliable modern subway built in a city twice as old as New York and and with two and half times the population. Then return to New York and copy that.
11
Seeing a nice system somewhere else doesn't help anyone replicate that in the US. If I got 10 cents every time someone said "go to ____ and see their system, and copy it!"
1
How about updating the fare structure? It will yield much needed revenue and be fairer to all customers. Nearly every other system in the world bases fares on the distance traveled, not a one-price fits all as the subways now use. Outside of the city the MTA sets fares on distance. Metrocards and upcoming smartphone swipes easily allow this!
1
It might not be fairer. Lower-income people often live farther from the city center and their jobs. The displacement caused by gentrification is only making things worse, forcing people out of their neighborhoods and into more inconvenient areas that are farther away and served by fewer lines.
5
If you want income based subsidies that is fine! But currently the rich and poor get a fixed subway fare. However why do poor Mt Vernon residents pay a fare to Grand Central based in distance while someone richer in Riverdale get a fixed. One takes an MTA MetroNorth train while the other takes the MTA subway!
Totally agree. It's weird that it costs me the same to travel three stops as 30. And it's also weird that we're still swiping paper tickets. Where's contactless payments? If the MTA is short of revenue, you'd think it would have long since examined its fare structure and implemented a more modern turnstile system that bills based on distance traveled.
As for low-income people living further out... perhaps some system of subsidies can be implemented for them? But IMO that alone cannot be an impediment to a better fare structure that generates more revenue for the MTA enabling it to improve service for all.
As for low-income people living further out... perhaps some system of subsidies can be implemented for them? But IMO that alone cannot be an impediment to a better fare structure that generates more revenue for the MTA enabling it to improve service for all.
What about bringing New York's subway system into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act? None of the proposed improvements speaks to the reality that the subway system is flagrantly inaccessible to many individuals with disabilities. What can we do to change that?
6
Driverless trains?
Robotic cleaners?
Really?? -- And what's supposed to happen to the humans involved in this factor?
More unemployed?
More homelessness?
Just asking.
Robotic cleaners?
Really?? -- And what's supposed to happen to the humans involved in this factor?
More unemployed?
More homelessness?
Just asking.
9
exactly
the mta should really just watch film on japan's rail systems.
the coordination between management, engineers, cleaning crews & customers is mind-blowing
the mta should really just watch film on japan's rail systems.
the coordination between management, engineers, cleaning crews & customers is mind-blowing
4
Except that coordination between management, engineers, cleaning crews and customers has nothing to do with the reliability of the service. Japan's rail systems run well by comparison to US systems for other reasons.
Add new and more cars and modernize the signals. We have to realize that there are more people using the system and they must be be able to get to their destinations in a timely and safe manner. I'm certain there are many of our older folks who remember the El's and wish they were never torn down. We sure could use them now.
The concept of steel wheels on steel rails is older than the signals. Should we do away with them, too because of age?
The easiest way to increase trains per hour is to avoid breakdowns.
And an immediate 10% increase in capacity was possible under the Transit Authority's single car system by adding a car to make the trains 11 cars long. Not possible with the MTA "married pairs" and longer units.
The easiest way to increase trains per hour is to avoid breakdowns.
And an immediate 10% increase in capacity was possible under the Transit Authority's single car system by adding a car to make the trains 11 cars long. Not possible with the MTA "married pairs" and longer units.
1
Lengthening trains can sometimes reduce capacity, because of space constraints. It happened most recently to Chicago in their increase of Brown Line trains from 6 to 8 cars ten years ago.
Does this really take a "genius" or several million dollar prizes?
We should learn from what SO many other major cities have done while eclipsing the NY subway system. London, Paris, Tokyo ... you name it ... almost all have WAY better subway systems and features.
Why do cars take 3 years to build at such a HUGE cost? Because NY insists on its unique (old) designs which are "bid out" to the same vendors (with influence) without any real competition. Why? Subway cars should be purchased as COMMODITIES. Find the ones you like elsewhere and replicate those. Source them from the same vendors as other cities. Buy similar cars as other cities and buy together in scale.
London's Undergroubd increasingly has open cars with no doors between carriages. They are safer, cleaner and easier to police and maintain. As it is easier to move "between" cars, there is less congestion. Paris and other cities are doing the same. Why not NYC?!?
How do you prevent derailments? How do you have a quieter subway system with a smoother ride? Paris has been doing this for decades. GET RID OF THE ANTIQUATED RAILS!!! Like Paris, have rubber wheels running within tracks. Does ANYONE not think the Paris subway is far superior to New York? Learn the BIG lessons from others. Forget the silly electrical outlets, hand cleaner, ... suggestions.
Not rocket science. Move us quickly in the direction of more and better cars and trains running more frequently.
G
We should learn from what SO many other major cities have done while eclipsing the NY subway system. London, Paris, Tokyo ... you name it ... almost all have WAY better subway systems and features.
Why do cars take 3 years to build at such a HUGE cost? Because NY insists on its unique (old) designs which are "bid out" to the same vendors (with influence) without any real competition. Why? Subway cars should be purchased as COMMODITIES. Find the ones you like elsewhere and replicate those. Source them from the same vendors as other cities. Buy similar cars as other cities and buy together in scale.
London's Undergroubd increasingly has open cars with no doors between carriages. They are safer, cleaner and easier to police and maintain. As it is easier to move "between" cars, there is less congestion. Paris and other cities are doing the same. Why not NYC?!?
How do you prevent derailments? How do you have a quieter subway system with a smoother ride? Paris has been doing this for decades. GET RID OF THE ANTIQUATED RAILS!!! Like Paris, have rubber wheels running within tracks. Does ANYONE not think the Paris subway is far superior to New York? Learn the BIG lessons from others. Forget the silly electrical outlets, hand cleaner, ... suggestions.
Not rocket science. Move us quickly in the direction of more and better cars and trains running more frequently.
G
13
But you live in Jersey, at most you're a commuter(jk). And you can't compare our system to that of Paris, although improving the tracks themselves is a good idea, it's not a matter of the cars, or even the tracks but the signals that time them. The city/mta had hastily tried to improve the tracks via the FastTrack program, but anything rushed is bound to cause problems. We have a very effective system that has aged terribly but now the attention is being given to the right problem. Now it's just up to the city/albany to mismanage the situation.
1
Of course almost all other cities shut their systems down overnight (1am-6 am). Would that work in NYC? We probably have more overnight passengers than they have all day.
3
Subway cars are NOT commodities. The tunnels of the IRT (the numbered lines) were built to handle cars that were skinnier than the standard rail car. These cars will always be a special order (and a different design than the lettered lines) until the IRT is completely rebuilt along the same standards as the BMT and IND--and that would be an ENORMOUS expense. In addition, how can you be sure the MTA cars would have the same design as those for other subways in North America?
3
Create a simple alpha numeric system for identifying stations. For example the WTC stop on the E would be labeled E-1, and then Canal St would be E-2 and so on until the last stop which would be E-22.
The Tokyo metro has this type of labeling system to make it easier for those who don't read or speak the language to navigate the system.
Take E-22 and change at 6-11 for downtown. Get off at 6-6 and take the L to L-5 the 1st Ave stop.
Here is the insanity of the Tokyo Metro: made easier by letters and numbers. http://www.tokyometro.jp/en/subwaymap/pdf/routemap_en.pdf
The Tokyo metro has this type of labeling system to make it easier for those who don't read or speak the language to navigate the system.
Take E-22 and change at 6-11 for downtown. Get off at 6-6 and take the L to L-5 the 1st Ave stop.
Here is the insanity of the Tokyo Metro: made easier by letters and numbers. http://www.tokyometro.jp/en/subwaymap/pdf/routemap_en.pdf
1
Re: Driverless trains, get the Union on board by offering all motormen new training and new positions in their choice of [1] digital signal management, [2] platform crowd control, [3] mechanics for new rolling stock, [4] escalator repair, or [5] transit enforcement to ensure people are behaving.
Times change, and we all have to adapt. The motormen could stay on their same contracts/salary schedules/benefits/retirement etc.
Times change, and we all have to adapt. The motormen could stay on their same contracts/salary schedules/benefits/retirement etc.
5
Good luck getting the union on board with that! Ha ha
launch a sustained long term campaign to educate people to take their backpacks off at all times when they're anywhere inside the subway system and implement fines for keeping your backpack on your back when inside a subway car.
9
Every train line needs 3 sets of rails. when one set is down for maintenance, the remaining 2 will provide uninterrupted service. The middle set could also serve , one way or the other, for peak loads.
1
I think the priority for the MTA needs to be modernizing the current system. Signals, tracks,etc.. Secondly, trains need to run more frequently. While the Second Avenue Line is nice, it is not nearly as important as what I have mentioned above.
3
Wow, you don't have to be a genius to see what has to be done.
Replace the signal system -- now, not over 50 years, that's absurd.
Buy new rolling stock with the new continuous cars. Per a longstanding recommendation, expand the Lexington Avenue to 14 car trains. Build new lines where these measures are inefficient.
Automate the trains, as in modern systems.
Penalize door holders. I mean, really penalize them. I watched a selfish woman hold up a train, and thus the whole line, just yesterday. A loud, obnoxious buzzer and flashing lights would help -- passengers would pressure the door holder and police officers could ticket the offending passenger.
Get the escalators working. Add platform doors safety and air condition the stations.
Restore key-bys until the new signal system is in place. Go back to the old policy of not holding up the train if a passenger is ill. Resume doing track work while the trains run so that weekend travel isn't constantly being disrupted.
End absurdly costly late night service -- trains with one or two people on them -- and replace it with express buses where that will be cheaper and more frequent, saving money for needed service.
Take a serious look at the operation of the MTA, in which multiple people can often be observed doing the work of one.
And do some serious enforcement to get rid of the beggars and musicians.
Replace the signal system -- now, not over 50 years, that's absurd.
Buy new rolling stock with the new continuous cars. Per a longstanding recommendation, expand the Lexington Avenue to 14 car trains. Build new lines where these measures are inefficient.
Automate the trains, as in modern systems.
Penalize door holders. I mean, really penalize them. I watched a selfish woman hold up a train, and thus the whole line, just yesterday. A loud, obnoxious buzzer and flashing lights would help -- passengers would pressure the door holder and police officers could ticket the offending passenger.
Get the escalators working. Add platform doors safety and air condition the stations.
Restore key-bys until the new signal system is in place. Go back to the old policy of not holding up the train if a passenger is ill. Resume doing track work while the trains run so that weekend travel isn't constantly being disrupted.
End absurdly costly late night service -- trains with one or two people on them -- and replace it with express buses where that will be cheaper and more frequent, saving money for needed service.
Take a serious look at the operation of the MTA, in which multiple people can often be observed doing the work of one.
And do some serious enforcement to get rid of the beggars and musicians.
5
With the promised influx of money, I believe ALL of these could be achieved within a year.
Hire and train 500 technicians to work around the clock to install and test digital signals, one borough at a time. Close down affected lines in each borough for two weeks at a time, with tons of buses to replace the trains. Communicate the temporary changes well in advance, including explanations of the future benefits, and people will understand. In fact, they'll be grateful for two weeks of inconvenience in exchange for 50 years of comfortable, quick travel.
Hire and train 500 technicians to work around the clock to install and test digital signals, one borough at a time. Close down affected lines in each borough for two weeks at a time, with tons of buses to replace the trains. Communicate the temporary changes well in advance, including explanations of the future benefits, and people will understand. In fact, they'll be grateful for two weeks of inconvenience in exchange for 50 years of comfortable, quick travel.
1
"End absurdly costly late night service ..."
Spoken by someone who lives in New London, Connecticut.
There are periods when I have to travel at 3 o'clock in the morning. I rely on the subway,. A nightly Uber is too expensive. The last thing I and others need is to have to wait on a dark street corner, in the cold, wind, and rain, for a shuttle bus that may take its sweet time in coming. I have had to use that system when lines have been temporarily shut down at night to permit construction work. It's a miserable, slow experience.
A more reasonable solution would be to run fewer cars at night. But NYC is the City that Never Sleeps and on my line at least there are never any empty cars.
Spoken by someone who lives in New London, Connecticut.
There are periods when I have to travel at 3 o'clock in the morning. I rely on the subway,. A nightly Uber is too expensive. The last thing I and others need is to have to wait on a dark street corner, in the cold, wind, and rain, for a shuttle bus that may take its sweet time in coming. I have had to use that system when lines have been temporarily shut down at night to permit construction work. It's a miserable, slow experience.
A more reasonable solution would be to run fewer cars at night. But NYC is the City that Never Sleeps and on my line at least there are never any empty cars.
11
Late night rains used to be 4 cars long, but with current car designs that is not possible!
Overall, the MTA has sabotaged the system.
Overall, the MTA has sabotaged the system.
4
Signal updates would have to be first, for safety reasons. I don't know how anyone would get people to stop standing in the doorways, or stop new passengers boarding before departing passengers get off.
New cars would be next on my list. Then better cleaning of both stations and cars.
Some platforms need to be widened - it's frightening to wait for a train on, for instance, the platforms of the 72nd Street station of the 1, 2, and 3 trains.
No more "Showtime," no more busking or begging on trains. We need a better Transit Police presence for this, as well as fare beaters.
The luxury items like wifi can wait. Let's get the more basic stuff dealt with first.
New cars would be next on my list. Then better cleaning of both stations and cars.
Some platforms need to be widened - it's frightening to wait for a train on, for instance, the platforms of the 72nd Street station of the 1, 2, and 3 trains.
No more "Showtime," no more busking or begging on trains. We need a better Transit Police presence for this, as well as fare beaters.
The luxury items like wifi can wait. Let's get the more basic stuff dealt with first.
10
Get rid of all the full-height turnstiles. With the increasing crowding it is unacceptable to have turnstiles that are so slow and clumsy to navigate. I routinely see frustrated commuters give up and bypass them in favor of entering via the emergency exits, so they probably cause more fare beating than they prevent. Plus I have never in my life seen a tourist navigate one successfully.
6
Get ready of the antiquated C trains immediately as promised 3 years ago. Add more trains asap. On another note: replace the diesel spewing 40 year old busses immediately as well...a major health hazard!
7
There are many fixes that the MTA can make to speed subway traffic. But there are also some fixes that riders can make.
The long time it takes for passengers to board at busy stations is one of the biggest causes of train delay - the train sits in the station, and other trains pile up behind it. I have three suggestions for passengers to reduce those boarding times:
First, passengers waiting to board can stand well aside from the doors to let passengers leave the train. In New York, more than any other city I've seen, boarding passengers crowd the doors even before the train has stopped, then force their way through the flow of departing passengers, adding considerably to boarding time.
Second, passengers on the train can move away from the doors to clear the path for departing passengers and boarding passengers. New Yorkers insist on standing in the door, often so preoccupied with their tablets and phones that they are unaware that they are standing directly in the way of other passengers trying to get on and off the train.
Third, departing passengers can move to the doorway areas as the train approaches their station. Too many passengers only get up from their seats after the train has stopped, making their way to the doorways as passengers have already started to board.
I've been a subway rider since the 1970s, and I've seen several ups and downs in MTA management. The one constant has been the degree to which passengers make their own commutes more difficult.
The long time it takes for passengers to board at busy stations is one of the biggest causes of train delay - the train sits in the station, and other trains pile up behind it. I have three suggestions for passengers to reduce those boarding times:
First, passengers waiting to board can stand well aside from the doors to let passengers leave the train. In New York, more than any other city I've seen, boarding passengers crowd the doors even before the train has stopped, then force their way through the flow of departing passengers, adding considerably to boarding time.
Second, passengers on the train can move away from the doors to clear the path for departing passengers and boarding passengers. New Yorkers insist on standing in the door, often so preoccupied with their tablets and phones that they are unaware that they are standing directly in the way of other passengers trying to get on and off the train.
Third, departing passengers can move to the doorway areas as the train approaches their station. Too many passengers only get up from their seats after the train has stopped, making their way to the doorways as passengers have already started to board.
I've been a subway rider since the 1970s, and I've seen several ups and downs in MTA management. The one constant has been the degree to which passengers make their own commutes more difficult.
18
"...departing passengers can move to the doorway areas as the train approaches their station. Too many passengers only get up from their seats after the train has stopped..."
Some of us do this because you can be thrown across the car if the train stops abruptly. If there's a crowd around where I'm seated, I usually tell people that I will be getting off at the next stop. I feel like a fool, but it's better to give some warning.
Some of us do this because you can be thrown across the car if the train stops abruptly. If there's a crowd around where I'm seated, I usually tell people that I will be getting off at the next stop. I feel like a fool, but it's better to give some warning.
5
Overall, the doorway design is defective.
The entire side of the car should open so everyone "falls out."
Then the side could come down and scoop the new passengers into the cars and pack them tightly. This would be quicker and have the additional advantage of carrying more passengers as the passengers would be mechanically compressed.
The entire side of the car should open so everyone "falls out."
Then the side could come down and scoop the new passengers into the cars and pack them tightly. This would be quicker and have the additional advantage of carrying more passengers as the passengers would be mechanically compressed.
3
One-way doors on subway cars.
Some doors are always for going in and some are always for going out. People line up on the platform where the correct in door will be. Inside the car you move to the out doors.
I'm sure this is not a new idea, but I would like to know all the reasons it won't work.
Some doors are always for going in and some are always for going out. People line up on the platform where the correct in door will be. Inside the car you move to the out doors.
I'm sure this is not a new idea, but I would like to know all the reasons it won't work.
5
Like getting a salmon card in school for going down the up stairway!
1
Hong Kong has this. But Hong Kongers intuitively understand the idea that life will be better if everyone just follows a few simple rules. New Yorkers fundamentally do not understand this, and would ignore such a rule, which is why we can't have nice things in this city.
1
Completely opposed to power outlets. I do not want to encourage further people living on the trains. Outlets do that. They also mean that there will be cords to get in the way of others and promote more flighting if people don't get their way with getting an outlet.
One thing that I wish would happen is that there would be a sound/tone/some visible signal for those wearing headphones before any announcement is made. Yes, we have horrid issues with being able to hear the often garbled announcements, but more than that, we might have a chance if we were alerted to pay attention before the speaking begins. How many times have we missed the beginning of a surprisingly clear message because we weren't yet ready to listen? By the time you begin to focus the message is almost over - then no one knew what was said.
One thing that I wish would happen is that there would be a sound/tone/some visible signal for those wearing headphones before any announcement is made. Yes, we have horrid issues with being able to hear the often garbled announcements, but more than that, we might have a chance if we were alerted to pay attention before the speaking begins. How many times have we missed the beginning of a surprisingly clear message because we weren't yet ready to listen? By the time you begin to focus the message is almost over - then no one knew what was said.
22
Hello NYTIMES,
Rather than providing your advice as a way of starting the conversation, how about you open the question to your customers. For instance, you can ask questions like:
What can the ATM do so that your ride is not upsetting and you can get to work (etc.) without the stress caused by the ride?
Or
What is the best subway ride you have ever experienced?
You will be surprised by your readers' answers as is they who ride train!
Cheers
Rather than providing your advice as a way of starting the conversation, how about you open the question to your customers. For instance, you can ask questions like:
What can the ATM do so that your ride is not upsetting and you can get to work (etc.) without the stress caused by the ride?
Or
What is the best subway ride you have ever experienced?
You will be surprised by your readers' answers as is they who ride train!
Cheers
2
In addition to upgrading equipment (new signals, switches) and replacing old cars, improved cleaning of stations and cars would be money well spent. How about expanding the janitorial staff that power-washes station platforms, scrubs down car surfaces (from seats to floors) and wipes down those old Metrocard machines? Many current stations (even big ones like Borough Hall in Brooklyn or 14th & 7th) look and smell like something out of a third-world country.
It seems to me frills like wifi and power outlets can wait until more primary needs are met.
It seems to me frills like wifi and power outlets can wait until more primary needs are met.
27
Send subway designers to any subway station in any big city in Japan, and have them copy what the Japanese are doing.
10
The main difference between US systems and Japanese systems, other than the insane labor protection regulations here in the US which are bankrupting transit systems and turning each and every front line staff member into their own personal 'fat cat', is that in Japan they value the mid level management getting front line experience. In New York they promote uneducated staff through the ranks, and hire management either up through the ranks or laterally but without reverse-training them with front line experience. The result is that no one in NYC Transit knows enough to make the right decisions. Travelling to Japan would be nice but it isn't going to turn mediocre mid level or executive managers in to bright, capable and experienced managers.
A tap-and-go transit fare system would truly help with swift access and payment onto the subway, while preventing the congestion of tourists who are incapable of swiping their MetroCard correctly.
Aside from that and the great ideas that were offered for modernizing the system already, the subway's expansion to connect the outer boroughs is long overdue and greatly needed considering the growth that the boroughs have experienced. The city should consider proposals such as ReThinkNYC's Regional Unified Network and/or the Regional Plan Association's Triboro line.
The former would better connect the region by creating transit accessibility in neighborhoods poised for such development due to their geographic location and existing infrastructure, such as Sunnyside in Queens and Port Morris in the South Bronx. While also strengthening access to and from New Jersey and connecting seamlessly to La Guardia Airport.
The ladder is a circumferential subway line which runs from the South Bronx down to Bay Ridge with possible extensions down the line to Staten Island and the Central Bronx. This is the answer to the increasing need for transit service between the boroughs as they have experienced unprecedented growth and the existing bus lines between the outer boroughs is inadequate.
Aside from that and the great ideas that were offered for modernizing the system already, the subway's expansion to connect the outer boroughs is long overdue and greatly needed considering the growth that the boroughs have experienced. The city should consider proposals such as ReThinkNYC's Regional Unified Network and/or the Regional Plan Association's Triboro line.
The former would better connect the region by creating transit accessibility in neighborhoods poised for such development due to their geographic location and existing infrastructure, such as Sunnyside in Queens and Port Morris in the South Bronx. While also strengthening access to and from New Jersey and connecting seamlessly to La Guardia Airport.
The ladder is a circumferential subway line which runs from the South Bronx down to Bay Ridge with possible extensions down the line to Staten Island and the Central Bronx. This is the answer to the increasing need for transit service between the boroughs as they have experienced unprecedented growth and the existing bus lines between the outer boroughs is inadequate.
12
Only fixing the signal system (of the three areas for the "Genius" subway competition will improve service. The MTA must commission a multi-level, transdisciplinary public transportation needs assessment and act on the results. I have not been impressed with the MTA planning departments for either subway or buses. In fact, the bus planners have worked to deform ridership data so that the needs of communities get artificially downgraded. Probably the same thing happens with the subways. How else to explain the exponential growth of this crisis?
Transportation planning is an old but very difficult process that requires several differently trained professionals working together. The people of the NYC Metropolitan Region deserve the highest quality transportation planning now.
Transportation planning is an old but very difficult process that requires several differently trained professionals working together. The people of the NYC Metropolitan Region deserve the highest quality transportation planning now.
3
They already have a capital plan. The governor has ants in his pants, because it would take too long to achieve the whole modernization. I can sympathize with him, after all it the NYC Transit's current malaise has nothing to do with him. Hence, the competition - which an almost impossible challenge to meet, but a brilliant Hail Mary attempt. Almost no one would be able to fulfil what he wants to achieve with it.
There's an elephant in the MTA's living room: human doorposts. These are the people who, either out of cluelessness or a special New York strain of passive-aggressive disorder, stand in the subway doors, one to a side. Subway "dwell time" — the number of minutes a train stands in a station while discharging and taking on passengers — has ballooned in part because human doorposts constrict the flow of passengers into and out of each car. Three normal-sized people can fit through a subway door at once; human doorposts shrink that to one. Solution? Hefty fines. Have agents spot-check trains during rush hour, ticketing and fining human doorposts. I suggest $200 per violation. I'll bet in two months, dwell times return to what they were before this plague began.
19
great suggestion, and in addition backpacks these days take another third of any crowded car. extend the fines to people walking into a subway car without taking their backpack off
1
Rethink how the trains are spaced and admit that getting riders through Brooklyn is as important as getting them through Manhattan. The 2,3,4,5 trains meander about Brooklyn pretty much only worried about arriving in Manhatt on schedule.
5
No to driverless trains! How would that help? We need two MTA workers down there with us. Capacity is beyond breaking point. To lighten the load on the subways make the streets more functional: make buses more frequent, reliable, and give them a seriously dedicated lane. Make tourist buses and other non-essential/non-commuting vehicles stop on the left side of the street. I see fedex/UPS trucks, delivery trucks, cabs, etc. double parking blocking the bus lane. Make delivery trucks do their delivering at night! Or non-rush hour times. We're all scrambling to do things between 7 and 7. Stagger work times/delivery times. Put more cops out there. New York has always been chaos but these days it is unparalleled. People do whatever they want. Control bridge/tunnel feeder roads that screw up traffic for miles. Continue to improve and install dedicated bike lanes with dedicated turn signals as they have done on Allen Street. Levy taxes on cars coming into the city. It is quicker to walk/bike than be in a car.
11
Problem #1 - It is quicker to drive than take mass transit.
Problem #2 - Our roads are filled with "exempt" vehicles for the privileged. Why does a city employee get to drive to work and get a free parking spot? Why should a government employee drive to an assignment but a commercial employee take mass transit?
Why does Joe Lhota get a limo and MTA "police" to bully anyone in his way? Let him take mass transit. And incarcerate the MTA "police." At best they are useless and at worst they bully the customers.
Problem #2 - Our roads are filled with "exempt" vehicles for the privileged. Why does a city employee get to drive to work and get a free parking spot? Why should a government employee drive to an assignment but a commercial employee take mass transit?
Why does Joe Lhota get a limo and MTA "police" to bully anyone in his way? Let him take mass transit. And incarcerate the MTA "police." At best they are useless and at worst they bully the customers.
1
The system is completely outdated. While new, cleaner cars would help for now, for the long- term, we need to build a new, modernized system alongside the current one. Expensive, yes, but well worth it.
1
Change the metro card format. Something with a sensor that doesn't need to be swiped would be much better!
8
Like the Oyster card in the London Underground system...
3
The problem is not the card so much as the reader.
Any competent engineer would have designed the devices with four readers so that the card could be read no matter how it was inserted. But not the MTA.
Any competent engineer would have designed the devices with four readers so that the card could be read no matter how it was inserted. But not the MTA.
3
The suggestions as to how to improve our subway system seem silly to me. Driverless trains? Good God, I hope the MTA keeps some sentient being on board who knows what he's doing. Power outlets? Why, so teenagers can, for fun, stick chewing gum into them? I can't even deal with "quiet cars" and hand sanitizers. I suppose we can get the guys who sleep in the subway cars to refill the dispensers.
How about if we all stopped throwing garbage into the tracks so that the MTA didn't have to spend time and money cleaning it all up -- not to mention the track fires (and vermin) that feed on all that junk.
How about if we all stopped standing in the doorways and pushing one another and then, in fits of pique, punching and slashing one another? Lots of time and money taken up in dealing with such situations -- and bad tempers and psychoses don't do well in such situations.
Which isn't to say that the system isn't old and, nowadays, inadequate. But installing power outlets and hiring Morgan Freeman to make service announcements won't make a difference.
How about if we all stopped throwing garbage into the tracks so that the MTA didn't have to spend time and money cleaning it all up -- not to mention the track fires (and vermin) that feed on all that junk.
How about if we all stopped standing in the doorways and pushing one another and then, in fits of pique, punching and slashing one another? Lots of time and money taken up in dealing with such situations -- and bad tempers and psychoses don't do well in such situations.
Which isn't to say that the system isn't old and, nowadays, inadequate. But installing power outlets and hiring Morgan Freeman to make service announcements won't make a difference.
25
Driverless trains are old technology at this point and you aren't going to fix the system if you waste money on the equivalent of elevator operators.
Also, you can't change customer behavior, that's wishful thinking. If people throw trash the solution is to clean it up.
Also, you can't change customer behavior, that's wishful thinking. If people throw trash the solution is to clean it up.
3
Josh, I am not suggesting that human nature can be changed. But let's face facts: The MTA spends money and manpower cleaning up after slobs.
And I would still like a human person on board every train in case of emergencies. Give him all the automated systems you want; but let a fairly able, knowledgeable body be in the first car.
And I would still like a human person on board every train in case of emergencies. Give him all the automated systems you want; but let a fairly able, knowledgeable body be in the first car.
Those 'fairly able' and 'knowledable bodies' in the front car don't do much under emergency situations. Mainly it's the first responders who do. When you have 1000 people on a train, whether you have one person at the front, or three people along the train, or none at all, it doens't make much difference in an emergency situation. Driverless vehicles are built with lots more redundancy and more sophisticated types of hardware, and end up being safer than older technology vehicles.
Fancy ideas, but let's not waste any more funds on useless peripheral services (e.g. more wifi stations, power plugs, hand sanitizer). Focus only on the things that will get us to A and B on-time and comfortably. Agree with Elena Reich below - more and newer trains. And cleaner, cooler stations please! Everything else can wait...
20
Power outlets in subways cars is a disaster waiting to happen.
What would the power outlet equivalent of man spreading be?
Outlets would include cords for various devices protruding. If people should just bring their own cords will these end up tangled and crisscrossing as people lunge across seats to connect?
How about ADA accessibility? Are these outlets low down on the wall or seat? If you're saying yes are we talking about hot outlets that could shock kids?
How much space would this "modernization" take from the primary function of moving people around the city?
Could I plug in my home amplifier? Could I plug in my boombox for "showtime"? If I busk, could I plug in my P.A. system?
What would the power outlet equivalent of man spreading be?
Outlets would include cords for various devices protruding. If people should just bring their own cords will these end up tangled and crisscrossing as people lunge across seats to connect?
How about ADA accessibility? Are these outlets low down on the wall or seat? If you're saying yes are we talking about hot outlets that could shock kids?
How much space would this "modernization" take from the primary function of moving people around the city?
Could I plug in my home amplifier? Could I plug in my boombox for "showtime"? If I busk, could I plug in my P.A. system?
18
Aside from all the other actual improvements...
Field Trip Cars and Dog Cars!
Designate specific cars for student field trips between the hours of 10am and 2pm.
Perhaps skim the cars with a kid oriented graphic?
That way all riders know which cars are going to be full of kids and can avoid if they want a quiet trip!
On that same note, many more people are now riding the subway with dogs in bags, or just dogs- in an IKEA bag with holes cut out for the legs...
A car specified for riders with dogs would alert people who have issues or are scared of dogs that they should board another car.
Field Trip Cars and Dog Cars!
Designate specific cars for student field trips between the hours of 10am and 2pm.
Perhaps skim the cars with a kid oriented graphic?
That way all riders know which cars are going to be full of kids and can avoid if they want a quiet trip!
On that same note, many more people are now riding the subway with dogs in bags, or just dogs- in an IKEA bag with holes cut out for the legs...
A car specified for riders with dogs would alert people who have issues or are scared of dogs that they should board another car.
1
A couple of simple crowd management improvements which can be found in almost every other subway system in the world...
(1) Don't make people enter and exit through the same turnstiles. This just creates more conflict and I've always been puzzled by it. This system seems designed to create collisions between passengers. How many times have you arrived in the station with the train right there on the platform, but you can't get through the gates due to the flood of exiting passengers?
(2) Put markings on the platform edge showing where the doors will open. Paint big red areas directly in front of the doors reading "DO NOT STAND HERE". That area is for descending passengers. Paint green areas to the sides reading "WAIT HERE TO BOARD". Take a look at pictures of the Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taipei systems for examples.
Go one step further: install glass barriers at the edge of he platform. Train arrives, doors open, passengers descend, passengers board, glass doors close, train departs. Prevents anyone or anything from falling onto the tracks. Again, take a look at other systems in the world which have these features.
These are basic, common sense improvements which are always missing from the lists of proposed improvements. But they're found in efficient subway systems all around the world. Get it together, MTA.
(1) Don't make people enter and exit through the same turnstiles. This just creates more conflict and I've always been puzzled by it. This system seems designed to create collisions between passengers. How many times have you arrived in the station with the train right there on the platform, but you can't get through the gates due to the flood of exiting passengers?
(2) Put markings on the platform edge showing where the doors will open. Paint big red areas directly in front of the doors reading "DO NOT STAND HERE". That area is for descending passengers. Paint green areas to the sides reading "WAIT HERE TO BOARD". Take a look at pictures of the Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taipei systems for examples.
Go one step further: install glass barriers at the edge of he platform. Train arrives, doors open, passengers descend, passengers board, glass doors close, train departs. Prevents anyone or anything from falling onto the tracks. Again, take a look at other systems in the world which have these features.
These are basic, common sense improvements which are always missing from the lists of proposed improvements. But they're found in efficient subway systems all around the world. Get it together, MTA.
31
(1) they already have this in NY
(2) they already have this in NY
Neither solves the issues at hand. This is the blind leading the blind.
(2) they already have this in NY
Neither solves the issues at hand. This is the blind leading the blind.
All these modernizations are great but we need MORE, newer trains to deal with all the overcrowding and delays.
14
More trains aren't the answer. The number of trains that can run on a track is limited by the signal system and (typically) East River tunnel capacity.
2
The reason they don't run more right now is that they don't have the money to cover the high labor cost of running and maintaining them. They can buy more, and the signal system can handle more, but they don't have the money to run them.
What does the tunnel have to do with it?
This is not a quick fix, but the MTA needs to develop a a real, long term plan to ADD subway lines in the outer boroughs. There are more people here and more people using the subway system. Adding trains to the existing lines is not enough. We need to expand the system. We need to think generationally, not just about tomorrow or next year.
17
It isn't the outer boroughs that need the lines, it's the areas in which the system is grossly overloaded and traffic is too heavy to use e.g. express buses.
3
Wifi and power outlets are just the kind of frills that the MTA should NOT be worried about right now.
The kind of spending that's needed to solve the current crisis should involve the essentials: new track switches and signals, cars with modern motor generators and batteries, and station maintenance that's brought up to a first-world standard (not a third-world one, as we often see now).
On the latter point, the idea of robotic cleaners in cars may have some potential. Or how about this: an expanded cleaning staff that regularly power-washes platforms, wipes down surfaces, and eliminates the persistent urine/trash smell that plagues so many stations? It's not glamorous but it would go a long way towards bringing the system up to an acceptable standard.
The kind of spending that's needed to solve the current crisis should involve the essentials: new track switches and signals, cars with modern motor generators and batteries, and station maintenance that's brought up to a first-world standard (not a third-world one, as we often see now).
On the latter point, the idea of robotic cleaners in cars may have some potential. Or how about this: an expanded cleaning staff that regularly power-washes platforms, wipes down surfaces, and eliminates the persistent urine/trash smell that plagues so many stations? It's not glamorous but it would go a long way towards bringing the system up to an acceptable standard.
You can't expand staff at a period in history where unionized labor costs have just spiraled out of control to laughable levels. NYC Transit needs Chapter 11 to address its already-bankrupt operating finances. Then, they can think about beefing up the cleanliness.
Field trip cars and dog cars!
Designate specific cars for field trips - during the hours between 10am and 2pm. Paint the cars with
Designate specific cars for field trips - during the hours between 10am and 2pm. Paint the cars with
2
To improve the subway, simply enforcing the current rules would go a long way:
--No busking in the cars using the railings as gymnastic equipment for your acrobatic dancing while playing loud music;
--No man spreading;
--No having little kids you didn't pay for taking up seats; put them on your lap. (Decades ago, there used to be explicit signs about this.)
--No littering. Don't leave the packaging for your lunch on the seat or the floor.
Your ideas:
--Power outlets would be wonderful;
--Quiet cars would be terrific; at the very least, in every car all music should be played only with headphones;
--Wi-Fi inside the cars would be great, but people should not talk on their phones using VOIP;
--Push alerts sound promising, especially if new models of trains once again permit walking through the cars;
--Driverless trains, are you crazy? I would want a human being present to override the system. If a safety situation arises involving a crime on a train, it's preferable to have a person available. Most people know that when traveling late at night it's best to choose the car with the conductor. Although human error sadly occurs, you still can't beat human judgment.
--No busking in the cars using the railings as gymnastic equipment for your acrobatic dancing while playing loud music;
--No man spreading;
--No having little kids you didn't pay for taking up seats; put them on your lap. (Decades ago, there used to be explicit signs about this.)
--No littering. Don't leave the packaging for your lunch on the seat or the floor.
Your ideas:
--Power outlets would be wonderful;
--Quiet cars would be terrific; at the very least, in every car all music should be played only with headphones;
--Wi-Fi inside the cars would be great, but people should not talk on their phones using VOIP;
--Push alerts sound promising, especially if new models of trains once again permit walking through the cars;
--Driverless trains, are you crazy? I would want a human being present to override the system. If a safety situation arises involving a crime on a train, it's preferable to have a person available. Most people know that when traveling late at night it's best to choose the car with the conductor. Although human error sadly occurs, you still can't beat human judgment.
10
For what it's worth, it's easy for an automated system to beat human judgment (or lack of same).
Driverless trains would free up personnel to do other things in the system that can't be automated, e.g., providing a secure car on late night trains.
Driverless trains would free up personnel to do other things in the system that can't be automated, e.g., providing a secure car on late night trains.
2
I have my doubts about driverless trains. Even in cities that have an automated system, there are still employees on the head end of the train, to take over if necessary or operate the doors. Also, imagine a No. 7 train stuck under the East River between Grand Central and Vernon-Jackson, with no one to make announcements or escort passengers to safety.
The signal system NEEDS to be replaced/upgraded, but only with contracts signed with reputable construction companies, large fines for delays in construction, and signal systems that are not different due to different builders and installers.
Power ports? Seriously? So people can be tripping over each other's wire?
The signal system NEEDS to be replaced/upgraded, but only with contracts signed with reputable construction companies, large fines for delays in construction, and signal systems that are not different due to different builders and installers.
Power ports? Seriously? So people can be tripping over each other's wire?
20
Driverless trains have been in use for years and are working fine. They're no different than an automatic elevator, functionally. People were scared of those, too.
1
Employees on the head end of the train even with driveless operation? You clearly haven't been to cities with driverless operation: Paris, even NY (JFK Airtrain), Vancouver, Copenhagen, Lille, and many others... heck even the Docklands Light Rail.
I still feel that where the revenues especially for the fares on the buses and subways are going should be closely monitored in order to make sure that they are going where they are supposed to be going to. What I just can't understand how the MTA makes so much revenue yet the system feels so behind despite all of that. Also, I find it nothing but scapegoating when anyone blames the problems on de Blasio despite the fact that the mayor of absolutely no jurisdiction on this system as well on the TWU when they aren't the ones calling the shots on what really goes on there when they are just asking for a pay raise every now and then despite the fact the that heads of the MTA are raising their pay quite constantly. Maybe if they took a pay cut, a lot more could be saved. Another way to help the MTA make more money is to actually crack down on fare beaters, because I could never understand how they are able to jump turnstiles or sneak onto buses without ever getting caught while the rest have to pay to use that system. If enforcement was stepped up, this method would be pretty much non-existent because they know that they will caught for doing this. As for ideas such as road pricing, considering the way the MTA is using their current revenue streams, so until then, no new ones should be created, plus it hurts those who don't have access to the system now as well as being seen as a regressive tax to those who can't afford it on their incomes.
3
"Another way to help the MTA make more money is to actually crack down on fare beaters, because I could never understand how they are able to jump turnstiles or sneak onto buses without ever getting caught while the rest have to pay to use that system."
There was an article recently, perhaps it was in the Times, about turnstile jumpers. They do it because they can't afford the subway. The way to stop it is reduced fares based on income or better-paying jobs. According to this article, more than 90,000 people a year are stopped for turnstile jumping.
https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20170223/financial-district/2000-people...
There was an article recently, perhaps it was in the Times, about turnstile jumpers. They do it because they can't afford the subway. The way to stop it is reduced fares based on income or better-paying jobs. According to this article, more than 90,000 people a year are stopped for turnstile jumping.
https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20170223/financial-district/2000-people...
6
The only problem with that idea of giving reduced fares based on income is that it could turn into a slippery slope of others want special discounts because who they are and that it will seem to almost never end. BTW, there are fare beaters that aren't on the low end of the ladder, and they just feel that there are numerous things that they shouldn't pay for. More importantly, I could never understand when MTA workers get suspended or sometimes even fired just for doing their jobs on catching fare beaters like that bus driver who caught a boy who had a record for sneaking onto the back of the bus so that he can get on without having to pay. There are even times when some hold the doors to the emergency exits for others to sneak into subway stations without paying as well. I won't argue with the fare hikes, but fixing the transit system won't be a cheap process. Unfortunately, this becomes a catch-22, because as much as so many want to have the best system, they feel that anyone but them should be the ones covering it even though someone has to pay for it, which is why I am against ideas such as road pricing, because it really does punish those who don't viable alternatives to driving especially due to where they live. For the record, we motorists do pay for the roads and crossing that we use with our taxes for infrastructure, so in a way, we are paying for them, plus maintaining our vehicles isn't subsidized at all nor does that come cheap for us.
2
The mayor IS responsible for the subway system. The subway system is 100% owned by the City of New York and can be, and should be, withdrawn from the MTA's control as Nassau's busses were if they won't keep the system in good repair.
The mayor can and should take the MTA to court for failing to maintain the city property entrusted to them.
The mayor can and should take the MTA to court for failing to maintain the city property entrusted to them.
1
How about creating an ad campaign to instruct riders to move to the center of subway cars; I often can't get on because doorways are jammed while there are spaces in the center of the car. Perhaps platform attendants can enforce by checking before doors close and not letting the train move until the middle of the car is full.
9
It's infuriating. You see huge lacunae in the center and no one will move. Then when you push because you must get on, people become hostile.
5
I think if they could put a vertical bar in the middle of the subway car (rather than just by the doors) it would help alleviate this problem. I often suspect that one of the reasons ppl don't move into the middle is that no one wants to hold onto the overhead bars and be forced to practically lean over the people sitting down.
9
Claire, exactly, excellent point. I was noticing that just yesterday -- the poles are in the *wrong* place. Standees naturally gravitate to them and so cluster around the doors.
2
Mets gut Marlins
Cranky Subway Standee
Tune of Yankee Doodle Dandy
I'm a cranky subway standee
I'm cranky standing on the A.
I hear the M T A is in a jam
Where is that surplus today?
Yes, power outlets would bring comfort
Quiet cars would bring some joy
Big-name actors would be fun
To tell us when we're holding
I'd be a less cranky subway boy!
Tune of Yankee Doodle Dandy
I'm a cranky subway standee
I'm cranky standing on the A.
I hear the M T A is in a jam
Where is that surplus today?
Yes, power outlets would bring comfort
Quiet cars would bring some joy
Big-name actors would be fun
To tell us when we're holding
I'd be a less cranky subway boy!
16
Perfect, Freddie. Have a happy Fourth!
3
Way to go, Freddie. Just in time for the Fourth.
3
Where is all the exorbitant cigarette tax money going? I often wondered this while running late on a packed subway car.
2
That money goes to the anti-smoking commercials you see on TV and free Nicotine patches/gum give aways to help people stop smoking.
I am mystified at the notion that more digital media, can somehow improve our rapidly deteriorating public transportation system. There is not " an app" or digital platform readout, or wifi service which will provide any solution for the problems which any rational and reasonable taxpayer/citizen/rider can see. The trains are crowded, the platforms are crowded, the delays from both conditions are well documented. RUN MORE TRAINS ANS BUSSES,
What is preventing those on charge from fulfilling the mandate of public transportation?
What is preventing those on charge from fulfilling the mandate of public transportation?
15
"I am mystified at the notion that more digital media, can somehow improve our rapidly deteriorating public transportation system."
Many larger-scale changes are needed, but the ability to stream video and music, read the news, and use Google Maps to figure out alternative travel routes improves the experience. Power outlets would keep phones charged.
Many larger-scale changes are needed, but the ability to stream video and music, read the news, and use Google Maps to figure out alternative travel routes improves the experience. Power outlets would keep phones charged.
1
The simple explanation to your question is that the answers are not simple, and as you can see here everyone and their brother thinks they're an expert in what should be done.
Even inside the MTA and NYC Transit, many people think they're experts too. And this pride is part of the problem, also! They don't know what they don't know, and don't know how to learn either. And they won't hire people who do know - they wouldn't know how to find them, and even if they worked there, they'd run away screaming after a year on the job.
Even inside the MTA and NYC Transit, many people think they're experts too. And this pride is part of the problem, also! They don't know what they don't know, and don't know how to learn either. And they won't hire people who do know - they wouldn't know how to find them, and even if they worked there, they'd run away screaming after a year on the job.
1
True, many luxury apartments are owned by foreign investors or high income people who don't use the subway, but enough of new apartments are occupied by public mass transit users to make the overcrowding worse and worse.
Sadly, money talks and the chances of slowing down apartment construction until the subways can handle the capacity (if ever) is akin to a snowball's chance in hell.