Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Report: Why the subway is late and crowded a lot



An EVG reader passed along this photo from Union Square last evening showing more Hellish than usual lines for the L. (Gothamist has more on what happened here — rail conditions! signal problems! status quo!)

Meanwhile, the Post today examines new MTA stats and finds!

Subway riders are being squashed together on increasingly crowded trains, new data revealed Monday — and lack of basic manners getting in and out of cars is contributing to a spike in delays.

Weekdays trains experienced overcrowding delays a staggering 14,843 times in December — the most recent month where data was available.

That is a 113 percent increase from a year earlier.

One more stat from the article: "6 million people crammed into subway cars on 29 different days in 2014 — the most since the MTA started tracking ridership."

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

Purely anecdotal but I have noticed the service on the F getting worse and worse over the past 4-5 years, especially considering the consistent rise in ridership as the EV/LES gets denser and more people move to Roosevelt Island and the Queensbridge area. The headway between (completely packed) trains this morning was 15-20 minutes. Unacceptable for rush hour in a city this size. I've also seen more fights and arguments over crowding than in the 2000s. And yet the MTA insists on fare increase after fare increase with little accountability for their budgeting. Pathetic.

Anonymous said...

It’s Ruberama in the subways, just like the sidewalks. When I exit the train, the hordes of clueless are standing right in the center of the door, as opposed to the sides if the door. Hey, wasn’t Shitibike supposed to alleviate this situation?

Anonymous said...

One of the absolute worst things about riding the subway is trying to exit a car while mouth breather idiots stand on the platform smack in front of the doors, or even worse try to board before you have exited. It's not so much that the behavior is rude it's that IT MAKES NO FUCKING SENSE. The subway is a hotbed of idiocy. You can argue that I am quibbling, but when people en masse have such a hard time grasping such a basic, elemental instance of everyday common sense, how can one have any hope for any kind of better future for New York City? I can't.

Anonymous said...

They need to start a campaign to encourage people exiting the cars to straightarm the dumbfucks blocking the doors.

Anonymous said...

And as usual the MTA is claiming they don't have enough money. Strange because the amount of construction projects they have going on right now is staggering when you start counting them up, and most I see don't appear to be the urgent kind. Also, NOTE TO TOURISTS: Stay the hell off of our subway trains during morning rush hour. You have suddenly been taking lots of seats on the downtown R in recent months while I get crammed in and left standing on my way to work and I don't like it. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Yes, OPEN UP THE MTA BOOKS and let the rest of us have a look at this deficit they're always telling us about. Does anyone else remember when the court ruled years ago that they had illegally raised the fare and were ordered to reduce it by a quarter? Whatever happened to that? They never lowered it and never mentioned it again to my knowledge (and I got blank stares whenever I asked MTA workers).

Anonymous said...

"and lack of basic manners getting in and out of cars is contributing to a spike in delays"

Translated:

"If these suburban transplants would hurry the f- up, take off their Yukon Cornelius explorer backpacks, and, in general, carry themselves like they live in a city and not a corn field, we wouldn't have so many delays."

Anonymous said...

I agree that the F train service has reached a point which is totally unacceptable. When Bloomberg rezoned the LES for higher density and taller buildings, no provisions where made to adjust public transit for the massive influx of new residents. In fact, whereas we used to have the F and V trains serving 2nd Ave, we are now back to just the measly F train service, which is the same service we had in the 1970's when this area was comparatively deserted.

2nd Ave F train uptown platforms in the morning rush hour are dangerously overcrowded. When the new uptown transfer to the 6 train at Broadway Lafayette/Bleeker St opened, even more people began taking the F train from Brooklyn In the morning rush hour. Again no provisions were made to increase service for the residents of the LES.

It is all the same on weekend evenings, when the masses descend on the LES from the tristate region for a night out on the town. The platform is so crowded with people exiting the station that it takes a dangerously long amount of time to exit the station.

An emergency situation during any of these times would create extremely dangerous and potentially fatal results.

Morning rush hour uptown at 2nd Ave is hellish. Often several full trains pass before anyone at 2nd Ave can board. The platform is overcrowded and all of the stress contributes to flaring tempers and pushing and shoving. I have begun getting up an hour early and walking over to Broadway Lafayette to avoid the 2nd Ave station entirely.

It is time to demand additional service/trains for the LES.

Anonymous said...

@12:53... The MTA books are open. Even basic research would find you what you need. If you google MTA Budget 2015, you'll find the final and preliminary budgets.



Anonymous said...

The amount of development that has occurred recently and is slated to occur in the EV and LES is staggering. This does not include the number of new residents we have had occupying tenement apartments. Consider that a studio apartment housing one person is probably a one or two bedroom housing two, a one bedroom housing one or two is a two or three bedroom housing two or three or four, a two bedroom housing two or three is now a four bedroom housing four or five.
So that's why the garbage cans are overflowing in front of most buildings and circuit breakers are being over loaded and don't get me started on hot water and water pressure - geez.
Neither the City nor the greedy bastard developers have taken into account the impact the shear number of people they are jamming into the LES and EV has on residents. Seems like the politicians aren't paying any attention either. Frankly why should they as none of these new folks are registered to vote here, so . . .
I agree that the F is a nightmare, when you get off at second ave to get home during rush hour and especially on Thursday and Friday evening (when you add the revelers into the mix) you have to get in line like cattle heading to the slaughter to get up the stairs. There is always one self-entitled asshole too who thinks he can cut the line and go up the stairs reserved for people trying to come down and then the whole thing get's even more backed-up. Once I said to some guy with his plugs in his ears if he saw that we were all waiting to get up the stairs, he gave me a dirty look but the dude behind me who was big said "yeah what that guy said wait in line like the rest of us di**head." The guy with the plugs then slipped into the line, albeit cutting everyone but still. . . .residents needs to start organizing about this asap and holding everyone accountable for the mess they are creating. Unless I am dreaming I also seem to see a great deal more small fires in the hood now then in the past 5 years.

Anonymous said...

Subways? Buses? Whatever happened to their beloved ALTERNATIVE mode of public transportation greenwashing godsend Citi bikesharing machine? Because, you know, if you can afford the fares on the MTA and your internet service (where we can be these keyboard warriors), you can afford the self-illusion of being special and selected that that bike-sharing conveys. PLUS, what about their precious Uber? Besides, isn't EV now the hub for tech companies that revolutionizes the world? How come a tech bro hasn't yet come up with an app that'd let you reserve a spot on the platform and a seat on the subway?

Anonymous said...

Folks-

Take a moment to forward this EV post (and others like it) to community boards and elected officials. Might as well harness the steam from all this venting and direct it where it's needed.

Ken from Ken's Kitchen said...

Blaming this on manspreading and bad train exiting/entering manners is too stupid to even comment on.

It's about Sandy damage and maintenance work and other factors that the MTA won't comment on.

Anonymous said...

Guess why the NYC subway is a disaster?

It's G O V E R N M E N T - R U N.

I hope you like paying for the union boyz' big pensions.


Bill

blus glass said...

it's not just subways.
take a look at the first and second avenue buses - numerous select buses pass by, often empty, while folks (mostly with walkers, wheelchairs, canes; the elderly and those with children) wait up to an hour for a non "select" bus.
it makes sense to have limited or select buses during rush-hour. but an awful lot of people are waiting in the cold for long periods of time who pack themselves into overcrowded buses.

Crazy Eddie said...

Boy, the Pennsylvanian Railroad and the NY Central, then Penn Central, they had such sterling records in the people transport railway business, didn’t they? I see you got another excuse to union bash again. BTW, “Sully” who landed US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson? Union member. The middle age flight attendants who evacuated the plan safely? Union members. The crews of the NY Waterway, NYPD and FDNY water craft who rescued the people from the plane? Union members. And I’m still waiting on you to bash the Uniform Firefighters Association of Greater New York, Local 94, I.A.F.F. AFL-CIO.

John said...

Second Avenue Subway will probably reach here by 2025. There might also be another entrance to the 1st/14th L station by then.

Anonymous said...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penn_Central_Transportation_Company

Regulation and union contracts were partly to blame for the bankruptcy of Penn Central et al. in addition to good old fashioned competition and creative destruction. Failure is part of the market process. I know that's a shock to a commie.

Unions only have their power because of laws passed by America's only native criminal class, Congress.
See the March issue of Reason magazine on "Reverse Robin Hoods"
on union scams and pensions.
Like the California life guard who will retire on $200,000 a year.

Bill

Anonymous said...

http://philip.greenspun.com/flying/unions-and-airlines

The horrible economic effects of airline unions.

Anonymous said...

New York could take a few lessons in manners from other global cities such as London, Paris, Berlin, and Budapest. I've visited all of them and have used each subway system. I guarantee no one stands in front of the subway door as people are exiting it. Everyone stands to the side and waits for their turn. It is referred to as common decency and being polite. But I suppose New Yorkers are immune from this notion. In the aforementioned cities, there is a certain order, a decorum that NYC sorely lacks. Elsewhere, It is rare for people to accost one another in this town, lash out into verbal or physical tirades, pushing their way, without a regard for others. Furthermore, all of these cities have cleaner, more reliable transportation, which is larger. The MTA here is deplorable. They charge insane amounts of money, don't clean the trains, don't have trash cans at all stops. don't offer electronic signs everywhere, informing straphangers when the next train will arrive, don't make announcements regularly, and lack customer service. Yet, the prices and waits in line rise. It is a fucking joke. I dislike being negative, but I don't see vast, impending improvements toward the future. The Tube in London, which is the oldest, underground train system in the world, is fast, super clean, and actually pleasant to ride. Yes, they halt service at 1 in the morning, but there are valid reasons for that, hence to clean. I used to take the R train frequently to go to appointments. Now, I just walk everywhere. Its cheaper, better for the environment, and is healthier. The MTA needs a serious overhaul STAT.

Anonymous said...

Yes, Unions. They only watch out for themselves and do not care about the mass transit riders.

I slipped on an escalator the other day (thank god I broke nothing, just minor abrasions the mark of those escalator teeth) and there were two MTA Transit worker who saw me slipped. They just looked and walked away. A woman with grocery bags and was in a rush saw me slipped too but made a 180 and asked if I was ok. If I were a litigious person, like most of the country, or if I were an MTA Union member, I'd probably be rich and retired in Florida by now.

Anonymous said...

Look at the apartments in Stuy Town. One bedroom apartments are divided, then sub-divided to accommodate 3 roommates. And so on and so forth with the 2, 3 bedrooms. That's why it's impossible to catch the L train in the morning on First Avenue. And they are building MORE "luxury" buildings across the street? Good luck with THAT!

Walter said...

Don't get around much anymore, so all my daily routines are within walking distance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HYDFWv58UE

Crazy Eddie said...

Railroad peak passenger revenue was in WW II. After that, the railroads couldn't wait to get out of the passenger business, freight was the revenue. You cannot make a profit off a commuter rail schedule in the 1960's, never mind today , too much downtime in equipment, etc. Yes, unions were an issue as well. That’s why rail passenger service is government run. Or are you suggesting we get rid of all rail passenger service? Unions have plenty of issues but overall they and the GI Bill (GOVERNMENT!) created the middle class.

And I see you again avoided my question of why don’t you bash the FDNY’s union. And listen you Teabagger coward; don’t you ever call me a commie again. And here’s my family military service record. What’s yours again?

Father-US Army -WW II-MP-Combat.
Uncle-Army Air Corp, B-17 tail gunner. Participated in the first daylight bombing of Berlin, 1943. Had to ditch in the Channel due to battle damage.
Uncle- US Coast Guard, Tarawa beachhead. His craft was hit by Japanese artillery, he and only three others survived.
Uncle(wife’s’ side)-US Army-Battle of the Bulge.
Uncle(wife’s side)-US Army -Korea-Purple Heart.
Cousin-US Army-Korea-Combat.
Brother-US Army, Nam era, non-combat, stayed stateside.
Nephew and Godson-US Army -Afghanistan-One tour-Combat.
My brother’s son in-law-US Army-One tour Iraq, one tour Afghanistan-both combat.

To those concerned, I am not defending these wars in general but to have a Teabagger coward like Bill call me a commie is the height of gall.

And 7.36, I agree, the MTA does suck, bring back the TA. And re your positive Europe rail experience, can you please explain to Bill who runs the passenger trains there?

Anonymous said...

Crazy,
That's it, defend the mass murdering state in Washington, Sin City. Bethcha think FDR was great and before him Prof. Wilson and the Bully Boy (Roosevelt I).
I had relatives who participated in the mass murder exercises known as war. The fact that you're proud of it is ridiculous.

I'll bet you think Vietnam (Lyndon Badass Johnson's little war) was great too, especially the My Lai massacre.
You are a pro-gubment commie, I'm just calling you out on it.
Are you living off the taxpayers?
You need to read Murray Rothbard's essays, "The Anatomy of the State," and "War, Peace and the State," both
available online.

The middle class existed long before the GI bill. The only thing gubment creates is war and mass murder, along with depressions.
The bumble gubment runs the passenger rails, like Amtrak, which is why they suck.
You need to learn some economics, and stop being pro-mcguyverment.

Bill

Crazy Eddie said...

Bill

No. Are you living with your mother? You’re all mixed up in you so called Libertarian/Right Wing make believe world. So called Libertarians are really just another wingnut branch of the Republican Party. I guess you didn’t read my post. Are you also a Holocaust Denier/Truther/Birther as well?

Funny, you are so anti-war yet you conveniently left out Nixon, Reagan and both Bushes. Who's your favorite President? Jefferson Davis? You Nazi/Fascist. BTW, still waiting for you to bash the FDNY union. Waiting. Waiting.

Anonymous said...

Can we get back to the MTAs obsession with balls?

Jill said...

I would like to add the fact that within the next few years another 800ish people will be living near 14th & A when all the construction is finished on lots that didn't have residents before: post office, Mary Help, R&S Straus, strip mall

Anonymous said...

What Mario could not do, his son will never do.

creature said...

"There is always one self-entitled asshole too who thinks he can cut the line and go up the stairs reserved for people trying to come down and then the whole thing get's even more backed-up."

This ^^^^^. This pisses me off to no end.

Anonymous said...

I'm sure this will be an unpopular position, but I would happily pay more for the subway/bus if it was more reliable and ran more frequently. I too have completely abandoned the 2nd Avenue F as part of my morning commute due to dangerously overcrowded trains and insane rush hour wait times between trains. The fact that F train frequency wasn't increased when the uptown 6 train transfer opened is mind boggling. That said, if the MTA actually made serious, visible improvements I would be willing to pay more for the service.

Anonymous said...

Very scary to see the Bloomberg-iniated overdevelopment in LES and other areas and especially as Bloomberg had zero interest in infrastructure implications and planning.

So bus and subways are seriously stressed. Same for trash which is overflowiing.

The Wall Street/Financial District is moving into mass chaos with the huge amount of development (including hotels) especially on narrow streets. Amazing that no one has fallen from Fulton St. 2/3 platform. When Gehry Building trash is put out on Beekman Street, there is no room on the sidewalk to walk. And firetrucks cannot get through due to development spawned traffic.

Anonymous said...

Eddie and Bill really need to get a room. Both are making absolutely ridiculous arguments that make no sense and are completely off topic. Communists are against war? There was a sizeable middle class pre-WWII? Hate to break it to you, but prior to the end of the draft almost EVERYONE was in the military, so pointing out that you have family in the military means next to nothing.

But I'm glad to see that others are pointing at "tourists" as the usual scapegoat. Being a reactionary is so much easier than doing the research.

Anonymous said...

Frustrations at poor service, rudeness, lack of etiquette are one thing, and surely justified in this mess. But blaming "tourists" is ridiculous. Tourists have as much right to ride the subways as locals.

- East Villager

The Night Porter said...

The more obvious reason is the real reason: increase in population. The number of newly-arrived illegal aliens has increased dramatically due to Executive fiat. Of course the trains are more crowded. The streets are more crowded. Broadway Ave. in Brooklyn is more crowded. Bushwick is more crowded, etc...

Jon Keller said...

Call me a commie I don't care but being in a union is the best employment I've had. Nothing wrong with I can see. I blame the wealthy is have the power to steal our so called representatives.