Thursday, October 26, 2017

We spend a lot of time waiting for the subway

From Curbed:

The city’s Independent Budget Office has published yet another study that details how commuters are affected by the ailing subway system. Earlier this month, the IBO revealed that subway delays are costing New Yorkers roughly $864,000 a day in lost work time. If that wasn’t depressing enough, the IBO’s latest study illustrates just how many hours passengers are spending waiting on subway platforms.

The average number of passenger hours lost to delays systemwide during the weekday morning rush has increased by 45 percent from 2012 through May 2017, from just over 24,000 hours to nearly 35,000 hours, says the report. Per the New York Post, this breaks down to 1.1 years worth of wait time each morning.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

How about a report on how much time drivers have to sit in traffic, or how much time drivers waste looking for parking because the city keeps taking it away?

Anonymous said...

London runs trains every 3 minutes all day and into the night.

Res Ipsa said...

The study still doesn't tell us how bad it really is, because it's about waiting beyond the scheduled time. The G and J/Z are scheduled less frequently than other trains, so it looks like the wait isn't that bad. But waiting more than 10 minutes at rush hour is ridiculous.

(sarc) said...

We are approaching the Parisian model of the elimination of all international combustion engine driven vehicles.

There will be no more need for parking and more room for bicycle lanes and bus lanes...

Anonymous said...

It is frustrating to not have a good answer as to why with the demand, trains are not sent out continuously on 3 or even 4 minute intervals. What are the intervals? 5, 6, 7, 8 minutes?? If the intervals were reduced and people were confident the next train was not 12 or 16 minutes away, they would wait for it and not jam and pack an already overcrowded train.

Anonymous said...

Some of the delays are caused by subway cars dating back to the 60's breaking down. 50 year old NYC Subway cars, are you freakin' kidding me?

Anonymous said...

If we had less ferries and bike lanes that cater to the tiny elite and focus and money in trains that are the soul of the city this would be a better place.

A Better NYC said...

The MTA doesn't care about commuter's lost wages. They care about collecting your $2.75 to ride their trains. The rest is your problem.

Anonymous said...

and yet we continue to pay higher fares for this reduced and poor service. and once they eliminate the Metro Card be sure they'll find a way to make the riders foot the bill for the upgraded technology that will replace it.

georgetheatheist said...

If you catch up on your reading in your EZ chair at home or on a subway platform where's the waste of time?

Anonymous said...

All this, homeless, the stench, the panhandlers and crime!

Gay 4Ever said...


Where would the money come from then? I mean, better service will require the entire system to be upgraded. The trains are old, the tracks are old. The MTA is heavily used.

>>they'll find a way to make the riders foot the bill for the upgraded technology that will replace it.


More trains and better trains will reduce traffic. There is no way to make more roads.
>>How about a report on how much time drivers have to sit in traffic, or how much time drivers >>waste looking for parking because the city keeps taking it away?

Anonymous said...

Not to mention that we spend even more time inside the subway because works which started back in 2007 seem not end even though they keep repairing the very same spots.. Well, the unions gotta take their money regardless their work, especially that new yorkers vote regardless... Scams like stupid people..

rikki said...

YOU ARE THE PROBLEM........YOU take jobs that are 9-5 M-F and YOU willingly want to live like sardines

Get over it, it will be 25 years before any new tunnel will be built under the east river

So what is hte solution.....YOU NEED TO STOP WORKING 9-5 M-F, reverse commute work 12-8 work 2nd 3rd shift weekends holidays

There is no other solution...period!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

YOU ARE THE PROBLEM........YOU take jobs that are 9-5 M-F and YOU willingly want to live like sardines

And yet, other industrialized nations have managed to figure out how to run trains on a schedule, despite having "rush hour" and dense urban cores.

JQ LLC said...

Judging by the crowds I have seen the past 5 years, trains are still packed at 7 p.m. and it's not only dumb ass tourists. People are working later, I don't think majority works 9-5 anymore. And the worst fucking transit system in the universe is probably a factor in shaping this.

https://impunitycity.wordpress.com/2017/06/28/fuck-the-mta-the-worst-transit-system-in-the-universe/

Anonymous said...

>So what is hte solution.....YOU NEED TO STOP WORKING 9-5 M-F, reverse commute work 12-8 work 2nd 3rd shift weekends holidays

Sounds great. You willing to have a chat with my boss and convince him?

Anonymous said...

"Well, the unions gotta take their money regardless their work"
Most of the work done at the MTA is done by low bid contractors.

Anonymous said...

The buses suck too! My daughter has been late for school quite a few times because the Q31 bus sucks! It has sucked for a long time and the Mta does NOTHING about it! The MTA SUCKS!