4 ms·

Dude. Not moving a "sick passenger" off the train is the biggest issue of NYC subway commute.

by notyourday 9y ago

untog 9y ago
It really isn't. It is an issue, sure, but decrepit signals have far more of an effect every single day.
- notyourday 9y ago
  No, this is the issue. A sick passenger on union sq on N Q R in a rush hour means for twenty minutes trains are stopped. A sick passenger on the L, means trains are stopped in both directions. It takes hours for the train service to get back to normal. This happens nearly daily. If we still had Gothamist, we would have still had daily articles about what caused the delay.
  - untog 9y ago
    No, it is an issue. In any case, a new signal system would allow the subway to recover from a sick passenger much quicker, and allow it to run many more trains per hour than it currently does, which would cover many sins. The decrepit signals are a far bigger issue, and a far more solvable one (how do you solve sick passengers?)
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
    - notyourday 9y ago
      > and a far more solvable one (how do you solve sick passengers?) You move them off the train ( 2 minutes ) and let the train continue moving. Improving signal system won't fix delays. The article is about what about makes commute terrible. MTAs customer does not give a flying f!ck about why there are the delays. MTA customer wants to have no delays. MTA's solution? Contractless payments! New L cars with folding seats! Subway in NYC runs on electricity. It is not possible to run more trains on most of the lines than already run. MTA got a stupid grant from feds of several hundred million dollars to upgrade one of the L substations. It will add two or maybe three additional trains in the rush hour when trains already come every 3-4 minutes. No improvement in switching infrastructure would fix it. A train stopping for twenty minutes on Bedford St would affect the system for hours because of the idiotic 8th St design. Oh how about someone having an episode in a tunnel, followed by a dumb-ass passenger pulling emergency brake. In a tunnel. Guess what happens? The conductor has to check every car before the train moves forward even though he or she knows where the emergency brake was pulled. So you now have a sick passenger in a tunnel and entire system again stops. Fun, huh? But sure, through the magic of signal system improvement we will totally address dumb design ideas.
gnopgnip 9y ago
The problem with that is that it means a delay. There is no easy answer for when to delay the train for everyone, or when to keep moving until it is handled with a smaller delay.
- Symbiote 9y ago
  London Underground sometimes has posters up, "If you feel unwell, seek a member of staff on the platform" and "when ill on a train, if possible, wait until the train is in a station, where help is more easily available". Also, most of the emergency communications buttons now connect you to speak with the driver. They presumably have a procedure, depending on the problem, but for someone sick they will call ahead "passenger in front of carriage 3".
  - concerned_user 9y ago
    I suspect they are talking about homeless and/or people under influence of alcohol or other substances, not people with health issues that is why "sick passenger" is in quotes. Police probably given up on throwing them out.
    - notyourday 9y ago
      They are treated the same. "Sick passenger" = train stops, vacate the car, wait for EMT to diagnose.

Dude. Not moving a "sick passenger" off the train is the biggest issue of NYC subway commute.

untog 9y ago

It really isn't. It is an issue, sure, but decrepit signals have far more of an effect every single day.

notyourday 9y ago
No, this is the issue. A sick passenger on union sq on N Q R in a rush hour means for twenty minutes trains are stopped. A sick passenger on the L, means trains are stopped in both directions. It takes hours for the train service to get back to normal. This happens nearly daily. If we still had Gothamist, we would have still had daily articles about what caused the delay.
- untog 9y ago
  No, it is an issue. In any case, a new signal system would allow the subway to recover from a sick passenger much quicker, and allow it to run many more trains per hour than it currently does, which would cover many sins. The decrepit signals are a far bigger issue, and a far more solvable one (how do you solve sick passengers?)
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - notyourday 9y ago
    > and a far more solvable one (how do you solve sick passengers?) You move them off the train ( 2 minutes ) and let the train continue moving. Improving signal system won't fix delays. The article is about what about makes commute terrible. MTAs customer does not give a flying f!ck about why there are the delays. MTA customer wants to have no delays. MTA's solution? Contractless payments! New L cars with folding seats! Subway in NYC runs on electricity. It is not possible to run more trains on most of the lines than already run. MTA got a stupid grant from feds of several hundred million dollars to upgrade one of the L substations. It will add two or maybe three additional trains in the rush hour when trains already come every 3-4 minutes. No improvement in switching infrastructure would fix it. A train stopping for twenty minutes on Bedford St would affect the system for hours because of the idiotic 8th St design. Oh how about someone having an episode in a tunnel, followed by a dumb-ass passenger pulling emergency brake. In a tunnel. Guess what happens? The conductor has to check every car before the train moves forward even though he or she knows where the emergency brake was pulled. So you now have a sick passenger in a tunnel and entire system again stops. Fun, huh? But sure, through the magic of signal system improvement we will totally address dumb design ideas.

gnopgnip 9y ago

The problem with that is that it means a delay. There is no easy answer for when to delay the train for everyone, or when to keep moving until it is handled with a smaller delay.

Symbiote 9y ago
London Underground sometimes has posters up, "If you feel unwell, seek a member of staff on the platform" and "when ill on a train, if possible, wait until the train is in a station, where help is more easily available". Also, most of the emergency communications buttons now connect you to speak with the driver. They presumably have a procedure, depending on the problem, but for someone sick they will call ahead "passenger in front of carriage 3".
- concerned_user 9y ago
  I suspect they are talking about homeless and/or people under influence of alcohol or other substances, not people with health issues that is why "sick passenger" is in quotes. Police probably given up on throwing them out.
  - notyourday 9y ago
    They are treated the same. "Sick passenger" = train stops, vacate the car, wait for EMT to diagnose.