Would anyone care to expand upon Todd‘s gripe?
Random gripe: WTF is up with the N? No downtown express service for a month?! Rush-hour too! Is The MTA on vacation or something? (Oh, and the 4/5 this morning was crazy busy)
Author: subwayblogger
Elderly Rejoice. Subway Elevators and Escalator Status Available Online
Starting today, subway riders can visit the MTA website to find out about elevator and escalator outage information. The page is updated three times a day. So now you can find out that you’re shit out of luck from the comfort of your own home.
Did you know…
NYC Transit has 158 elevators and 169 escalators.
While that does not seem like enough in today’s ADA world, it seems like way more than I’ve ever noticed. If I think really hard, I can think of maybe a dozen or two places where there’s an escalator or elevator. So the fact that there are over a hundred of each is quite surprising to me.
Anyway, the MTA admits that they are way behind on making stations ADA compliant. That’s what this guy has been screaming about for quite some time now.
Apparently, there is hotline that has been around just for this. Who knew? So now the website will reflect the same kind of information that is available over the phone.
EMT’s On the Subway? Nah.
The MTA is thinking about cutting a program that puts first aid workers in the subways. They think by cutting the program, they can save a whopping $250,000 a year. If you ask me, they could fire a few of the “captain obvious” system public address announcers and save about the same amount too.
From the Daily News:
For nearly a decade, medical professionals – first nurses and then emergency medical technicians – have been posted at some of the busiest stations to help ill travelers, remove them from trains as quickly as possible and clear traffic jams on the rails. EMTs now work at seven stations.
However, in the next breath, the MTA says that there are 430 medically related delays per month. Doesn’t that sound like a lot? So you actually want to cut the medical aid program? Huh?
The thing is actually called the “Sick Passengers Response Program.”
Ok, so we have all been screwed by the “Because of a sick passenger at _____ street, this train will be running _______ (not where you want to go).” Now, if there’s no medical staff at the major stops, won’t it take longer to get these people help? We all know that they aren’t going to do what they should do, and just dump the person on the platform, and keep going.
Clearly, only a few stops have staffed EMTs now, so I would suggest adding MORE medical staffed stops. That way they can get the sick people off the trains faster, and cut down on the 400+ monthly delays.
Quiet is scary
Maybe it’s because I’m a New Yorker and a regular subway rider, but a calm mornings are always a little tense.
I’m not used to it not being crowded, the train arriving on time, the announcements being clear, and the people being normal. It always seems like the calm before the storm.
I honestly had to look at my BlackBerry calendar to make sure that today was in fact Monday. There aren’t any business looking people on this train, so that makes it even stranger. I though that I might have had an insane moment and left for work on a Sunday.
Anyway, here I am. So far so good. Maybe this is prepayment for a really crappy ride home…who knows. For now, I’ll take it. Cautiously.
Live from the subway, back to you in studio… .
MTA/Transit Public Relations Stunt Goes…Well
Other than someone yelling out, “Keep the fares down, bastard,” the public appearance stunt went very well. MTA and NYCT heads took their case to the people yesterday morning.
Elliot G. Sander, the executive director and chief executive of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, actually stood on the Grand Central platform handing out flyers. That’s right, handing out flyers. He might as well have been wearing a sandwich-board too.
He’s fairly new, and hasn’t been involved in any scandals (yet), so his face is not that well know. Apparently, only very few people actually stopped to talk to him. However, it was probably very odd to see a man dressed in a very nice suit handing out flyers. That and all the news cameras around were probably a tip. (See the photo)
Police to Fight Subway Perverts?
AMNY reports that the Manhattan borough president wants to have the police crack down on subway pervsattacking and harassing people in the subway.
Scott Stringer’s office asked commuters how often someone sexually attacked or harassed them in the subway, and found frightening results. More than 60 percent of those who responded to the online study said they were sexually harassed and 10 percent said they’d been sexually assaulted. (AMNY)
60% !??! Are you kidding me? More than half the riders of the subway have been sexually harassed in the subway? That seems a bit too extreme. Ok, so 98% have been harassed in general, but not sexually.
Rush hour was noted as the most dangerous time to get sexed up. How is that? One woman reported that a man began to masturbate across right in front of her. I must be missing something. Where are all these freaks at 5:30pm on a Tuesday?
I guess I can see how people can cop a feel while getting crammed into a subway car. I mean, it is just close quarters. Your entire body gets pressed up against the person in front of you, but I don’t think that counts as a sexual crime. Pervs must be playing grab ass or something and blaming it on the congestion.
I guess I will have to do a better job protecting my sweet, sweet ass.
Ohh Don’t Even Tempt Me…
Check out this little nugget that I found:
ADVISORY
MTA senior staff will be out in the transportation network talking to customers about the MTA’s Financial Plan on July 26, 2007 at these locations:
MTA: Elliot G. Sander, MTA Executive Director and CEO will be at the Shuttle platform in Grand Central Terminal at 8:00 a.m.
NYC Transit: Howard Roberts will be at Utica Avenue station on the 3 and the 4 at 7:30a.m.
LIRR: Senior staff will be at Penn Station between 7:00 – 9:00 a.m.
Metro-North: Senior staff will be at White Plains station between 4:00-5:30 p.m.
Love the part about “talking to customers.” That’s code for answering the media mob of questions that will be thrown at the them about the fare hike.
Hmmm…do I want to go to the GCT S platform at 8am??
MTA Could Move on Fare Hike TODAY
Published reports say that the MTA could vote on its first fare hike in four years as early as today! 😦
If an increase is on the agenda, there won’t be a decision until December. But the MTA board could decide today to schedule public hearings on fare hikes for New York City Transit, the Metro-North Railroad and the Long Island Rail Road. (AP)
The City’s Independent Budget Office did a review of the books and it seems that at 20% base fare increased would be needed by 2010 to fight mounting debt. That would put the standard far at about $2.40.
Free bus-to-subway transfers and MetroCardsthat allow unlimited trips for one price over seven or 30 days have dropped the average cost of a ride to $1.28, which is lower than it was in 1996, according to MTA monthly reports. Longtime board member Barry Feinstein, who said he was not privy to budget strategy, vowed he would not support anything that means a step backward for the system.
Where’s Captain “No Fare Hike” Spitzer on this issue? Too busy battling it out with Bruno I guess. Clearly this increase is the exact opposite of what he promised in his election campaign. However, at this point, politicians making promises and then not delivering shouldn’t be a shock to anyone. Let’s hope he speaks up soon.
Anyway, I’m not opposed to a fare hike if it is the only way to keep the system from going under. Listen, I understand that things cost money, and that things are always going to get more expensive. Unfortunately, there’s that lingering feeling that if money were managed more efficiently, this wouldn’t be a problem.
On that note, if there’s going to be a fare hike, at least make it a good one. Let’s say the fare does go up to $2.40. That increase is only designed to maintain the status quo. That means that we would be stuck with the same issues that we are faced with now: dirty subways, failing equipment, and lack of consistent service. I’d rather bump it up to $3.00 if it means that all the subway platforms can get a face lift, more trains can be put into service, and the equipment system wide get’s updated. I have no problem paying more if it means that there’s going to be some sort of benefit.
Paying an extra $0.40 on a base fare just to keep the MTA’s head above water doesn’t seem smart. Might as well take the opportunity to make a big splash. That is of course under the assumption that the only way to solve this problem is a fare hike…of which I think we are all a bit suspicious.
Harry Potter Takes Over the Subway
Yesterday, there were Harry Potter readers everywhere you turned. Every other person on the train had their heads burried in a thick book.
Today, there seems to be even more! Maybe yesterday made the closet Potter fans feel ok with taking their books out.
Most people took of the paper jackets on their copy, so all you could see was the orange and green hard cover. However, you still know it is a Potter book because people have them clutched to their chests as if they were made of gold.
Subway riders seem a little more focused on finding a good spot to pull out their books and read. The seats are full of HP readers. There’s some people standing, but that huge book seems like a bit too much to handle while also trying to keep your balance.
So here’s the game of the day. Count the Harry Potter books. When you are on the train later today, see how many you can spot.
I’ll kick it off with 6 so far.
Live from the subway, back to you in studio…
Photo via T a i s
1 Train is #1, W is the Worst in Straphanger Ratings
Well, the results are in from the 10th Straphangers Campaign Report. The 1 train was rated the best overall line in the entire system (I catch a faint smell of bullsh*t), and the W train is tied for worst line with the C train. No shock in either case on the losing end.
This “State of the Subways” Report Card tells riders how their lines do on these key aspects of service. We look at six measures of subway performance for the city’s 22 major subway lines, using recent data compiled by MTA New York City Transit.2 Much of the information has not been released publicly before on a line-by-line basis. Most of the measures are for all or the last half of 2006.
Let’s review the 1 line ratings for a moment. It ranked with above average regularity. I kinda beg to differ on that one. It does come with great regularity, but when it gets screwed up, look out. One little mishap on that line ruins the entire 24 hours following.
When you factor in the fact that it breaks down more than average, how good is it really? That’s basically like saying that it works great when it’s actually not broken down. So as long as it isn’t too hot, isn’t too cold, not too wet, and there’s no crazy people on board, you can count on the 1 !
Above average on in-car announcements? Uhhh no. Sorry. Unless the average is barely English, I don’t think it’s that high.
As for the C and the W trains, well…I agree with everything they say. Basically, waiting those trains is a roll of the dice every single time you go.
Interestingly, the report is based on MTA data that is collected through the year. Ever notice those people standing on the platform with a watch and a clipboard? They usually have an orange vest on. Anyway, they are doing part of the survey work. Sounds like an awesome job. Anyway, it makes me question the actual results…something about the MTA reviewing itself.
SUBWAYblogger 