Response to my "Countdown clocks" posting
I really need to figure out a way to get comments on my page.
MTA to introduce more countdown clocks in subway stations
The MTA recently announced that they would be installing countdown clocks in subway stations to inform passengers as to the ETA for the next train.
I thought this was a pretty good idea until I read someone’s submission to the NY Daily News’ “Voice of the People” section and it went a little something like this…
“The MTA’s plan to put countdown clocks in the subways just shows that the agency is still run by people who never ride the rails. At a cost of a million dollars, you will now be able to know your train is running later - or not at all - AFTER you have paid your fare and descended two, three, or four flights underground. What is needed is a STREET LEVL clock so riders can determine whether they want to take the train or use some other method of transportation, before paying their fare of $2.25.”
I totally agree with this person — if I got to the station and saw that my train was going to take 10 minutes to arrive but another line in another part of the station was going to arrive sooner, I would be more inclined to take that one. Or if I was informed that the train wasnt coming at all, I’d probably just take a cab.
Man falls on subway tracks Thursday -- causes major commuter drama.
A person was fatally struck by a train in Brooklyn Thursday morning, resulting in delays for thousands of commuters during the morning rush hour. NYC Transit says the man was struck by a northbound “G” train in Park Slope around 7:35 a.m. Some service was suspended on the “F” and “G” lines until about 9 a.m. (AP)
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It’s moments like this that I wish I still lived at my old apartment where I was within walking distance of a major transit hub - thus allowing me to rely on another train instead of the “F” and “G”. Instead, I had to drive my wife to the closest “D” subway station so she can avert the mess.
Sighting on the train
I wanted to call this entry “celebrity” sighting on the train but I wouldn’t call this person a “celeb”.
As I write this, I’m sitting across from Elle - the guy who became a girl on MTV’s True Life “I’m Changing My Sex.”
Only in NY and only with my keen eye for spotting people like that in public.
Today's subway observation...
On my way in to work this morning, I experienced what had to be the most ridiculous incident I’ve seen on the train in a long time.
This girl was walking on to the train, taking her time and this woman behind her proceeded to PUSH her forward followed by saying “bitch, you need to move faster so I can get me a seat.”
And then for the rest of my ride, all I heard was the pushy woman bitching and making comments towards the girl who was just minding her business and shaking her head as she clearly was thinking to herself “how ghetto can one person be”
Oh and did I mention she even said “It’s Friday the 13th… you better watch out” — like what does that even mean.
Pregnant women (response to a response)
I got on the train this evening and it disgusted me to see a woman who was clearly pregnant standing up; with not a single person looking in her direction instead choosing to keep their heads down or buried in a book.
It took a full two stops before someone glanced at her and did the right thing in giving up their seat.
Just appaling and I was very close to saying something out loud to get peoples attention.
Ugh, this is my least favorite thing about NYC. If I’m standing—and I usually am—I always give men the Grumpy Black Woman Stink Eye™ until they get the hint. I also find it sad that women, at least on the 7, are always the first to offer their seat. Whatever happened to men with manners?
I totally agree with the above reader’s comment. And to clarify, it was a woman who ended up giving her seat while probably three, four men looked up and did nothing in the moments prior.
Pregnant women
I got on the train this evening and it disgusted me to see a woman who was clearly pregnant standing up; with not a single person looking in her direction instead choosing to keep their heads down or buried in a book.
It took a full two stops before someone glanced at her and did the right thing in giving up their seat.
Just appaling and I was very close to saying something out loud to get peoples attention.
Williamsburg museum seeks the first-ever 'Miss G Train'
Calling all G train beauties! Do you have what it takes to be “Miss G Train?”
A Williamsburg museum is hosting the first-ever “Miss G Train” competition next week, looking for the best straphanger to wear a G train sash and become the line’s unofficial ambassador.
Meetup next Thursday: The Consequences Business #1
Hello, New York! After a short interruption, we’re putting on a Meetup next Thursday to get things started. Task #1 is spreading the word.
We know:
- the trains could run like clockwork, and twice as often, ending waiting and crowding
- while the MTA doesn’t even give us arrival times, even South American subways have WiFi
- new lines and buses could serve long-crowded and underserved areas of the city, giving people better access to families, friends and jobs, if the MTA were able to deliver
But how do we get the word out? How do we let the people know that instead of delays, indifference and stagnation, they could have the brilliant trains of Copenhagen or Paris, or the constant subway expansion of Tokyo?
This meeting is to organize and plan our first public actions. Our first reaching out and shaking up the public.
Among the first options to consider:
- Clever Public Awareness Campaigns: Get people thinking with clever new takes on the subway
- In-Station Outreach: Go where the people are, when and where they meet the often frustrating forces of the MTA
- Video Competition: Enlist the aid of creative New Yorkers in developing a short viral videos via an online video competition
- Politician Outreach: Meet with politicians themselves and make the case that a better MTA will mean better lives and more prosperity for all New Yorkers
And we’re open to many more.
Join us at Sidebar on Thursday, 11/19 to help put together an awesome plan and make it happen!
Slowest Bus Routes in NYC? And the Awards Go To …
If you need to get somewhere fast in New York, don’t take the MTA’s M42 bus. You should also probably avoid the B44 and the M4. Each of the three bus lines has won awards for service, but not for the kind they’d want to broadcast to the city.
The NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign and Transportation Alternatives today gave out three awards for poor bus service in the Big Apple.
Drum roll, please.
