"Personal Responsibility Underground"
Katherine Mangu-Ward | December 7, 2007, 1:59pm
The New York subway is (slowly) decentralizing and The New York Times editorial board is *gasp* in favor of a potential new system where "subway managers will compete to see which line is cleanest, most efficient and all-round best":
Over the last few decades New York City’s huge subway has become too centralized into a “large, unwieldy system.” The management is one big stovepipe — that is, everybody works for a few people at the top. For example, one person is now in charge of all 468 subway stations across the entire New York City area. So, when it takes more than two years for workers to mend a leak that creates dangerous, icy steps, nobody really gets blamed for it. If it works right,... subway riders will soon have a real live person to blame.
More on the New York subway here.
GILMORE | December 7, 2007, 7:46pm | #
Cesar | December 7, 2007, 6:31pm | #
Gilmore-
My sister has lived in Manhattan for six years and she seems to like the Subway well enough. Of course she commutes entirely within the confines of Manhattan, and only gets off the island to occasionally see her husband's in-laws on Long Island. So, maybe the system is good in Manhattan and shit in the boroughs?
Har har.
No, its shit all round. Minor disturbances screw things up royally at times. Some stations on the island are still constantly filthy. Some have been on the mend for a decade (e.g. Canal st - used to be a scary dungeon, now looks better but still smells), some get more attention than others (e.g. if you live on the upper east/west side and commute only to midtown, then you might never complain too much)... but overall, the system is a slightly-improved version of the nightmare you could see in the 70s in movies like 'the Warriors'. few lines have any reporting on when the next train is coming - only short lines like the L have a sign that says, 'next train = 4 mins eastbound'... most others, you can stand there for 10-15 mins and wonder whats going on. They still are horrible about reporting changes to schedules due to trackwork or emergencies or whatever. There are leaflets posted on walls the same day the systems change, often. Very helpful when you have a meeting, head out, then see that the train is running one-way that day. It can be maddening at times. Then there are the employees, who are the TWA people who basically can't be fired even if they arent needed. Go to a token booth and ask them what they actually do. They sit in the booth all day. They are useless as far as security, maintenance, information, or even helpful tips on how to navigate the routes based on current conditions. My perspective is also partly based on working 1/3 of last 8 years in London, where (even though everyone there bitches about the system) they at least are a) clean, b) tell you when the train is coming, and c) are staffed by pretty responsible professionals rather than non-responsive welfare careerists who could care less about the riders.
Really, to have any perspective on the whole thing, you need to ride the system for 10yrs all around the city. The disparities across regions and neighborhoods is striking. A lot of manhattanites are 'job' people. Meaning, they come to the island, spend 5 years at a gig, rarely traveling far from home or work, and get a limited impression of what the broader life is like. If you were born in the city, lived through the 80s and 90s, and have ranged from cony island to the cloisters, yankee stadium to jamaica queens, you get more insight into how neglected the whole infrastructure is. I think 2 years ago a substation on the A train exploded, and the story revealed the equipment hadnt been replaced since 1930s. Thats really what the deal is. When you look at that, and then the gaargantuan budget of the MTA system, it boggles the mind where all this money goes. It certainly isnt planning for the future, or aiming to improve conditions beyond some cosmetic repair of aged stations that sometimes are barely usable.
An example = one morning, I came into the station, and there was a horrible odor. around the middle of the platform, a pipe had burst, and was basically dripping someones septic system into the station. Liquid shit was running down the walls. It was like something out of a David Lynch movie.
They didnt get around to adressing the problem for 3 days. Why? They claimed they didnt KNOW. No one in the station figured it was worth mentioning up the ladder. I dont think any of the booth people cared. They dont go down on the platform for any reason. Thats 'maintenance'. Maintenance are the guys who take out the trash. Did maintenance tell anyone that shit was running down the walls? No. They only take out the trash.
The TWU/MTA basically are an organization totally unresponsive to the needs or concerns of their riders. They only negotiate with the mayor and the governor. Riders have 0 recourse to the system basically. thats more the problem than whether or not some stations are up to snuff and others are not
