Wednesday, February 2, 2011

MTA looking at safety glass


From the Daily News:

The MTA may install sliding mechanical doors on subway platforms so riders can't fall, jump - or get pushed to the tracks.

The metal-and-glass doors would be part of a barrier along a platform's edge and would open only after a train stops at the station, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority document shows.

The protective platforms under consideration are increasingly common overseas in cities like London, Paris and Tokyo. They are also in use closer to home at AirTrain stops in Queens and in New Jersey.

Subway riders yesterday said the platform barriers and doors would be a good addition but worried about the costs and whether installation would drive fares up.

One plan under consideration is to allow whoever builds the doors to share the revenue from advertising that would go on them.

NYC Transit has drafted a two-page list of requirements for the platform-edge barriers in what is called a "Request for Information" that is due back from manufacturers in March. It asks companies interested in the project to describe their qualifications and how they might proceed if selected.

Proponents say the door would do more than just help protect passengers - it would also help reduce the number of lawsuits and the million-dollar payouts the agency faces each year.

Another added benefit: The doors would prevent trash from being tossed or blown onto the tracks. Hundreds of trains are delayed each month by small fires ignited by sparks from trains and the electrified third rail.

16 comments:

Joe said...

Stupid idea IMO.
Besided loosing 1/4 of the platorm space It would be to complicated. Add high $$$ union maintanience, filthy and tagged up in a month.
They can do the same thing at a fractio of the cost with a drop down steel cable or 2 .
Use worm drives hoisting points every 20 feet or so.
You can even put the cables on a proximiety sensor.
Anybody crosses it $1000 fine, its time all these transplat yuppies learn or pay up.
Some brainchild from Iowa took hmself out in Ridgeood Halsy St L eastbound retrieving keys.

If people want to kill themselves safety glass aint gonna stop them.
Defective people are the problem not the hardware

Anonymous said...

Joe said...
Stupid idea IMO.
Besides loosing 1/4 of the platform space It would be to complicated. Add high $$$ union maintenance, filthy and tagged up in a month."

See "Joe" this part of you comments is IMHO exactly right, but then you descend into the usual redneck's view of city vs 'burbs.

this has bee proposed as far beck as the 1960's -thankfully never implemented.

If these are installed, they'll need closure sensors that communicate with the train to prevent it from starting if someone gets stuck in the platform doors. They'll reduce what ventilation exists on the platforms.

If some fail to open, it'll send passenger scrambling to find open one on both the platform and when getting off the train. this is a much worse situation than when train doors fail since you'll usually notice that and make your way over to another door before your station arrives.

You want $6 fares in a hurry, asshole ideas like this are how to do it.

Anonymous said...

At this time of crisis--not a priority. But since someone politically connected probably already has the contract....

Patrick Sweeney said...

1. Unnecessary. The subways have operated over 100 years without them
2. Mechanically very fragile. If we can't keep the elevators and escalators working, then these won't work. Over half of them will be left in the permanently open position.
3. Vandalism magnets
4. A potential cause of other injuries as people are hit or pinned by the doors.

Patrick Sweeney said...

5. There's no money to buy them.

Anonymous said...

Stupid idea. They will break and jam and then no one will have access to trains at a station-- until a contrcator shows up to try to fix them, right? Garbage will pile up against them. Haven't we done fine without them for 107 years of subway operation? Why now? Spend the money on other needed station rennovations.

Anonymous said...

(1) welcome to Paris, 30 years ago

(2) is the DN using high-school interns to to voiceover work???

Anonymous said...

Another sweet deal for Siemens, the company who also manufactures the subway arrival clocks.

Anonymous said...

I thought the city had no money. No wonder the MTA keeps raising the fare. It's because of stupid ideas like this. The only thing the MTA needs to do is concentrate on improving service and reducing its bloated budget. Get rid of the higher ups and their expensive offices. You know, the people who have chaueffeurs and never ride mass transit.

Anonymous said...

Different subway car models have the doors in different locations.

Anonymous said...

would also allow them to install AC in the stations - they always said the reason they could not is the opening to the tracks

Anonymous said...

If you can't pay for the basics, you can't pay for frills. Run sufficient trains and the chance someone will be knocked to the tracks diminishes.

Anonymous said...

They would be acid etched by the savages and ruined within 6 months.The cost to maaintain would be prohibitive.

Anonymous said...

"The MTA may install sliding mechanical doors on subway platforms so riders can't fall, jump - or get pushed to the tracks."


An added benefit is that riders can't throw their stinking ghetto garbage on the tracks.

Anonymous said...

I am convinced the "M" in MTA stands for MORON! They cry no money, deficit and continue to cut services & raise fares but they have money for time clocks to tell you when the next bus or subway is coming. My bus isn't coming..not ever! You see it was one of those that was slashed in the last cut-backs! Now they when to invest how many billions in this new brain storm while the majority of the subways stations aren't even ADA compliant for people with disabilities. What is wrong with this picture???

Anonymous said...

I am not sure they can execute this plan properly, much less pay for it. They still don't have cell phone reception and cannot get the trains running per schedule. Take care of the basics first.