Author: subwayblogger

Subway crime hits 37 year low!

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Subway crime is at the lowest it has been in 37 years!  Even though we tend to hear about the crimes more often, the numbers actually show that things are much better.

Through the mass media and NYC blogs (like this 🙂 ), people tend to hear more about the crimes throughout the system.  However, as the Daily News reports, things are looking up.

Did you know…

Today, there are about 7 felonies committed every day in the New York City subway. 

Back in 1990, there were 49 a day! 

So, obviously the situation is much better.  You’ve also got to figure that 7 felonies doesn’t necessarily mean 7 felons.  One guy could commit a few felonies at once.  All he’s gotta do is rob someone at gunpoint (felony #1) and then punch the arresting officer as he tries to get away (felony #2). 

A lot of the improvements also have to do with big brother.  That’s right, you are on camera.  There are more cameras today in the subway than ever before.  In out post 9/11 times, the MTA has been installing new cameras all over the subway.  This makes apprehending suspects easier.  As soon as you start rounding up your repeat offenders through video tape, the crime levels are sure to show a dip.

Check out Gothamist too.  They have a cute little graphic that spells out S-A-F-E-R in subway line letters.

Back to normal. It is about time.

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Finally, things seem to be back to normal on the subway. The platform was a little crowded, but there was plenty of room for people to get on.

I forgot to mention (actually, I ran out of time) on Thursday that I saw a girl fall out of the train. That’s right…fall out of the train. Don’t worry, it wasn’t moving or anything, but she did fall out.

She was about 18 years old or so with a large bookbag on. It was an absolute freak show on Thursday. Way to many people.

She was on the train before I got on. She was standing in the opposite doorway when we arrived at an express stop sometime later. A sea of people flooded the doors trying to get on. She held her ground for the most part, but then the moment of truth. The doors were left open an extra long time because there was a train ahead of us. More and more people tried to squeeze in. Eventually, some people started to yell at eachother that there was no more room.

Eventually, things got a little more quiet, and it happened. With a little yelp, she fell out as if the mash of people had burst. She fell backward out of the train. I think she had gone to move her footing and stepped into the gap by accident. The men closest to her stepped off to help her up, and then the doord closed. So, her and the three guys that got off to help her were left behind.

I was about 15 people deep with a view of the scene through the window. The lesson learned? Mind the gap and oversized backpacks can kill!

(Ok, the last part was a little much)

Live from the subway, back to you in studio…

Photo: Not actually the girl that fell out of the train, but this is the exact possition she was in before being squeezed out.

Uptown 2 train stabbing

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A man was stabbed on an uptown 2 train last night sometime around 3am. 

He and another man allegedly got into a bit of a dispute just south of the 23rd Street station.  The suspect stabbed the man, and fled on foot from the station.

The victim managed to get off at the 28th Street station to call 911.

Note to self:  Ride subway alone late at night at own risk!

Smell it

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Gawker’s new transit smell map is now up and running.  That’s right…a smell map. 

Ever notice a terrible smell in the subway in the same spot every day?  Check to see if it has made the map.  If not, put it on there yourself.   It is interesting to see what is already on there.  As you explore your normal routes, you’ll often find you “smell memory” triggered. 

Check it

Dear Jews, thanks for the holiday.

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No, I’m not Jewish, but I sure dig your holidays!

Both to and from work, it was a relaxed commute. There were far fewer people to battle with today. This morning almost felt like a Saturday morning!

Anyway, on to more interesting topics.

We’ve said it before and I think it is worth mentioning again. If you are to fat to only take up a single seat, then you do not get to sit. EVER. If you are that fat, you could use a little more time on your feet.

I managed to get a seat just a couple minutes ago. The seat to my left came open. Some fat b*tch waddled up and asked me I’d I could scoot to make a little more room.

I looked her square in the eye and said: NO.

I’m sorry, but I am a thin person enjoyinh my seat. You are welcome to sit next so me. However, I am not about to move over so that your ass can ooze into my seat.

If you want two seats, I want to see that you paid twice the regular fare.

Here’s an idea, instead of a fare hike, how about a “pay per pound” MetroCard? Live from the subway, back to you in studio…

There is a God! (If you are a Jew)

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I arrived on the platform today, and to my excitement, I thought the transit gods had smiled upon me.

This morning, there is no one on the train! A light crowd on the platform and only a few people standing on the train. There were even open seats!

Then it hit me: today is a Jewish holiday, Rosh Hashanah. I always new that there were a lot of Jews in NYC, but you really don’t notice until a Jewish holiday comes around. All of a sudden, you look up and you are one of 3 gentiles that showed up at work! Everyone else is out for the day.

Hey, I’ll take this any day. I guess if the rest of us need to go to work, a nice consolation prize is a stress free ride to work.

Will the afternoon ride be even less busy? We’ll have to wait and see…

Live from the subway, back to you in studio…

Return to normal? Uhhh nope

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Conditions may be headed back in the right direction: improving. By that I mean there doesn’t seem to be a major surplus in riders. As I stand on the platform right now, it does not seem to be especially crowded.

However, it does seem to be taking forever for the train to get here. Speak of the devil…here it comes. PACKED! Aaaand there it goes. Without me on it. There were too many people on board already for me to even attempt getting on.

Of course, there were plenty of idiots who did. People will do everything short of crowd surf the people in the train.

“What’s that? One more? Sure! Jump on top…there’s plenty of room over the grab rails.”

I take back what I just said about it not being crowded. Since 4 people made it onto the last train, there are now twice as many people waiting here for the train.

OMG. They just announced that the next train is at 34th Street. That’s like 5 stops away still!

Alright, I’m going to have to get my game face on to make this next one. Gonna have to holster the Blackberry to I can claw my way on board.

You think if I get down like a lineman in the “ready possition,” people might get out of my way? Just a thought.

Almost had to trip an old man, but I made it. It took abou 12 tries for them to get the doors closed. I say after the 6th try, they should be allowed to say “screw it” and start rolling. What ever or whom ever is stuck in the door is simply out of luck. Sorry lady. Looks like that big ass Coach bag of yours just isn’t going to make it. Let’s roll!

Live from the subway, back to you in studio…

Fare hike and service cuts are shot down

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The MTA Chairman, Peter Kalikow, says that he and staff will strongly oppose any fare hikes or service cuts. So that is good news for us. Hopefully, the money grubbing politicians will stay out of it and not force the proposal through.

“Now is simply not the time to reduce service to our commuters,” Kalikow said, pointing to the 36% increase in transit ridership during the past decade.

I wish I could say that the rider volume was lower today. I still believe they messed with the schedule because trains seem to be slightly less frequent.

The eastside gridlock issues should be pretty much over now. Unfortunately, I don’t think people know that. I think they assume that the streets would be closed all week, so they keep coming into the subway.

Yeah, this is definitley out of control. Right now, I feel like a sardine.  If this woman elbows me one more time, I might have to throw one back.

People act like this is the last train of the morning. If they don’t make it onto this one, they will have a meltdown. People, just wait for the next one. It will literally take 4 more minutes out of your life. Not the end of the world so GET A GRIP!

Live from the subway, back to you in studio…

Service cuts come early?

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It is me or did the MTA juts decide to go ahead with the proposed service cuts anyway? This could be residual volume from the UN gridlocks, but I doubt it.

This week, there have been constant bottlenecks on the platforms. There are always waaaaaay more people waiting for the train than space will allow. You’ve got to wait 2 and sometimes 3 trains just to get on board.

Ohh snap…there’s the express train. Does anyone else have a sense of danger when you arrive at a station at the same time the express train across the platform arrives? You just know that a sea of people are about to slam into eachother. Tons of people from this train are about to make a dash for it so they can catch the express. Then people from the express are going to dive into this train. The entire exchange always has an air of panic around it.

I just hope grandma doesn’t get mowed down as she hobbles across the platform!

Live from the subway, back to you in studio…

Higher fares, but less service? Jigga please.

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So the MTA wants to up the fares on our subways and trains because they believe the “surplus” well is about to dry up.  Well, ok…I guess we can deal with that.  We all know everything is getting more and more expensive these days, so I suppose a hike was in the cards.  However, it still bugs me that there was an enormous surplus one year, and the next we need to raise the rates?  Anyway, a fare hike…I can deal with it.

However, the part that is the real bitch is that they want to also start a reduction in service.  Not so much in eliminating lines or stops, but just fewer trains.  In other words, we will have to wait longer for each train to come.

AMNY says:

“Under the proposal by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, riders on many subway and bus lines would have to wait an additional one to five minutes during off-peak hours. Midday riders would wait for up to 10 minutes for trains, while evening and late-night trains would run every 10 to 20 minutes, according to authority budget documents detailed Wednesday in The New York Times.”

I can even (somewhat) deal with waiting longer, but that isn’t the biggest problem.  The problem is that I will not be the only one waiting longer.  So will the 400 other people in the train platform.  If there are already 400 of us waiting for the train, what are we going to do with the dozens  of people pouring down the stairwells right behind us?

The longer the time between trains means the more people there are waiting to get on the next train that comes.  Already there isn’t enough room on each train to get everyone on board.  Invariably, there is always some percentage of schmucks that can’t fit into the far.  The train is bursting a the seams because there is not a square inch of space left.  So, they have to wait for the next train.  Consequently, reducing the frequency of trains is only going to make that problem worse.

Every week SUWBAYblogger ends up posting something about how ridiculously crowded the trains are.  Now, it seems, every train is going to be like that all the time!  I can deal with a rate hike, but it hard to deal with the stress of battling your fellow riders for space on each train.  It is hard enough to function at that hour of the morning.

The proposed bus service changes would affect about 65 percent of the system’s routes, saving the agency $15.1 million yearly.