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These New Subway Arrow Mats Will Solve EVERYTHING
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jul 11, 2017
Modified May 10, 2018
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Jul 11, 2017
Modified May 10, 2018
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Welcome to the subway, this mat screams, where the people you are about to share this crappy train car with are so lacking in common human decency that these goddamn childish instructions needed to be created. But hey, at least your train actually made it to the station.
The good news is the MTA has a plan to reduce subway delays. The bad news is this is an actual part of that plan. It is the first step, in fact, in their $20 million "six-point plan" to combat chronic service delay issues.
Subway analysts say "dwell time"—the amount of time a train spends in a station as passengers enter and exit—is a major factor in subway delays. In addition to small changes like choose-your-own-adventure arrows on the train floor, the MTA has ordered 640 new open-ended subway cars. The new cars come with slightly wider doors, which the MTA estimates could reduce dwell time at each station by as much as 32 percent.
The floor mat arrows are intended to "encourage customers to move into the train and away from the doors in order to improve dwell times at stations,” the MTA's Kevin Ortiz told the NY Post. But... will they? According to decades of experience as a human being dealing with other human beings, no, they won't. Most people who are going to stand there blocking the door are going to do it whether or not these visual cues are placed at their feet. Others will likely be paralyzed by indecision. What if you choose the WRONG arrow?!
The mats are currently only in two C trains, so the rest of you are just going to have to wing it.
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MTA
six-point plan
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we the commuters
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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