{"id":223,"date":"2017-08-10T19:06:46","date_gmt":"2017-08-10T19:06:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/precollegepress\/?p=223"},"modified":"2017-08-10T19:46:39","modified_gmt":"2017-08-10T19:46:39","slug":"new-york-city-subway-woes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/precollegepress\/2017\/08\/10\/new-york-city-subway-woes\/","title":{"rendered":"New York City Subway Woes"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Brigid Hosmer<\/em><\/p>\n

After months of subway system breakdowns and extensive delays, New Yorkers are growing increasingly frustrated with how the public transportations systems are operating. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like the subway is constantly letting people down,\u201d said Justice Reyes, a 14-year-old from the Bronx. Reyes rides the subway daily and relies on it to get to school, work, and home like many New Yorkers. He\u2019s experienced numerous delays this month alone, interrupting important appointments and even making him late to pick up his siblings from day care. <\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, his experience is not isolated as more and more New Yorkers share his sentiment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the last five years, delays have more than doubled, to about 70,000 a month from 28,000, according to official City Hall data.<\/span><\/p>\n

New York\u2019s Governor Andrew Cuomo has said that he will be signing an executive order declaring a state of emergency for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority that oversees the the city\u2019s transit system. <\/span><\/p>\n

Cuomo has also been vocal about the bureaucracy surrounding the MTA that has led to excessive delays and much needed improvements to the subway system. \u00a0He\u2019s characterized the MTA\u2019s project capacity as \u201cdeplorable\u201d and has sided with New Yorkers who are impatient with the glacial pace of upgrades.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s an urgency here,\u201d Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a recent press conference at Brooklyn Borough Hall when discussing the subway situation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s driving New Yorkers crazy. The subway is not working. And that\u2019s creating a tremendous amount of pressure on Albany to actually do something different, so I think you would agree in moments of crisis the political landscape starts to change,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Subway ridership has risen dramatically since the 1990s when about four million people used the system each day. Now nearly six million people ride the subway daily. The system has not increased capacity to compensate for this increase in riders. \u00a0Unfortunately, the subway cars are jammed with two million more riders and many others like Reyes say the experience is less than pleasant. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d never ride the subway if didn\u2019t have to, but it\u2019s the only way to get around and I guess I\u2019ve gotten use to the inconveniences,\u201d said the young rider. <\/span><\/p>\n

But how exactly does overcrowding cause delays? <\/span><\/p>\n

Subway officials say that at each stop too many people are trying to get on and off the train in a short amount of time, delaying it and the other trains behind it. \u00a0Once one train is delayed, every train behind it gets delayed. \u00a0It\u2019s like a traffic jam on the highway that just creeps along and eventually comes to a complete stop.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter a train starts to pick up large crowds, it becomes harder for people to get on and off,\u201d said train operator Brussard Alston, who spoke with the New York Times. The delay reverberates down the line as a queue of trains behind it backs up.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many ask how this issue could be overlooked for so long resulting in a potential state of emergency? \u00a0Some people indicate the system\u2019s long term neglect and bureaucratic reluctance to make timely investments in the system.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not as if the governor just got elected. He\u2019s had seven years to deal with these problems,\u201d said Richard Barone, vice president for transportation at the Regional Plan Association, a nonprofit group that advises governments on infrastructure policy. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe agency has been treading water for years without improving its subways and adapting with new technology.\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Numerous inquiries to city officials were not returned. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe Lhota, Chairman of the MTA, \u00a0unveiled a \u00a0new \u201caction plan\u201d \u00a0in late July aimed at fixing the subways. Plans included adding new cars to trains, replacing tracks and increasing maintenance staff. When asked when commuters can start to see improvements, Lhota couldn\u2019t give a specific answer. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Once these repairs are done, the MTA has to modernize the subways with a new signal system and new cars. Lhota estimated that work will cost $1 billion on top of the current\u00a0<\/span>capital budget.<\/p>\n

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on August 7 \u00a0that he would push for a tax on wealthy New Yorkers to pay for improvements needed to address the problems in New York City\u2019s subway.<\/span><\/p>\n

This \u201cmillionaire tax\u201d as de Blasio called it, would tax wealthy New York City residents to pay for subway and bus upgrades. The new tax would apply to individuals making over $500,000 a year, increasing their income tax rate to 4.4%. \u00a0This proposal includes reduced fares for more riders, an idea that has been successful in Seattle. <\/span><\/p>\n

But, the pushback to a tax increase was rapid and pointed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRaising taxes is not the answer,\u201d said NY State Senator John Flanagan a republican from District 2. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I support increased city investment in the subway, the city already has a $4.2 billion surplus and therefore has the ability to do so with existing resources. Mayor de Blasio doesn\u2019t need to reach into the wallets of city residents to make that happen,\u201d according to the N.Y. Daily News.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other proposals to correct the subway problems include seat removal, so 25 more people can fit per train, asking the NYPD to issue more summons for littering, and dedicated teams to deliver expedited repairs to signal problems.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s fair to say that the subway problems are extensive and costly. \u00a0Unfortunately, riders like Reyes are already worn out by subway chaos. <\/span><\/p>\n

Said Reyes \u201cI want to live in New York for the rest of my life, but if I have to ride this crazy overcrowded subway system I\u2019m outta here.\u201d \u00a0Time will tell whether riders will have the patience to tolerate the NYC subway system.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pre-College Journalism Students’ Subway Survey<\/strong><\/h2>\n

During the summer of \u201817, Pre-College journalism students at NYU conducted a survey about New York City\u2019s subway. One hundred and thirty subway riders and non-riders were asked about the well-documented problems that have been occurring in the system and their overall attitudes and opinions.<\/p>\n

If you live in the New York City area do you use the bus or subway?<\/p>\n

Yes- 50%<\/p>\n

No-5%<\/p>\n

If you are a tourist or visiting student do you use the bus or subway?<\/p>\n

Yes-38%<\/p>\n

No-7%<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you use the subway, what is your overall approval rating of the service?<\/p>\n

On a scale from 1 the worst to 5 the best- \u00a0Average score: 3<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How clean are the subways?<\/p>\n

On a scale from 1 the worst to 5 the best- Average score: 2.3<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Is it a good idea to ban food\/ eating on the subway and busses as an attempt to keep the system clean and free of track fires?<\/p>\n

40% yes<\/p>\n

60% no<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How efficient are the subways and busses?<\/p>\n

On a scale from 1 the worst to 5 the best- Average score: 3.1<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Could service be improved?<\/p>\n

87% yes<\/p>\n

12.5% no<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Have you experienced a change in the number of homeless people\/ panhandlers on the subway in the past month?<\/p>\n

32% yes<\/p>\n

68% no<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Have you experienced delays or other service disruptions in the last month?<\/p>\n

79% yes<\/p>\n

21% no<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How safe do you feel on the subways and busses?<\/p>\n

On a scale from 1 the worst to 5 the best-Average score: 3.5<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Demographics<\/p>\n

Male- 43%<\/p>\n

Female-57%<\/p>\n

Other- >1%<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Age:<\/p>\n

Under 18- 26%<\/p>\n

19-24 -32%<\/p>\n

25-34- 22%<\/p>\n

35-50-13%<\/p>\n

51-65-6%<\/p>\n

Over 65-1%<\/p>\n

Brigid Hosmer is a rising junior at Tilton School in Tilton, New Hampshire.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Brigid Hosmer After months of subway system breakdowns and extensive delays, New Yorkers are growing increasingly frustrated with how the public transportations systems are operating. \u00a0 \u201cI feel like the subway is constantly letting people down,\u201d said Justice Reyes, a 14-year-old from the Bronx. Reyes rides the subway daily and relies on it to … Continue reading “New York City Subway Woes”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":141,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNew York City Subway Woes - The Pre-College Press<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/precollegepress\/2017\/08\/10\/new-york-city-subway-woes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New York City Subway Woes - The Pre-College Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Brigid Hosmer After months of subway system breakdowns and extensive delays, New Yorkers are growing increasingly frustrated with how the public transportations systems are operating. \u00a0 \u201cI feel like the subway is constantly letting people down,\u201d said Justice Reyes, a 14-year-old from the Bronx. 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