The New York City Subway is part of what makes our city such a desirable place to live. Running 24/7, it allows millions of people to travel through our busy metropolis at all times of the day... When properly functioning, of course. As many New Yorkers will tell you, this has not been the case for a very long time.
Venturing into Manhattan this weekend, I found myself walking around 42nd street near Bryant Park and Times Square. You would think that the subway would definitely function in this area, since it's one of the biggest tourist attractions on earth. It wasn't.
No trains were running from Bryant Park due to construction, something I found out after swiping my MetroCard and filing through the metal turnstile.
Despite this 'construction', the Bryant Park subway was running again the next day. However, torrential downpours during the early morning commute caused intense flooding within the station. Gallons of water poured down from the ceiling, waking up morning commuters.
If a station as busy as Bryant Park can't run correctly, imagine the issues arising at other less busy stops around the city. The Fordham Road station, for example, did not have a functioning MetroCard vending machine for weeks during the fall semester. This meant that if you needed to refill your card or purchase a new one, you would have to walk to the next stop over and hope a machine is working.
In addition to these annoying inconveniences, the subway is a nightmare for the elderly and disabled. The majority of stations do not have any elevators, with pedestrians navigating crowded stairways and stumbling down long steep ramps. If a station happens to have an elevator, they are usually out of commission.
It makes no sense that a city as prominent as New York has fallen behind with its transit system. Comparable cities like Paris or London run with far less delays and are more reliable. If New York is to continue being the 'capital of world', its transit system needs a serious upgrade. We are told there are plans in place to make improvements to the subway system all the time, but they never seem to make any difference.
The MTA's now fully-funded Subway Action Plan has started work, attempting to combat delays and fix failing infrastructure. However, these are not the only problems riders face. There needs to be equal focus on the issues of accessibility and overcrowding to greatly improve the subway experience. Equal treatment must be given to stops in the outer boroughs like the Bronx and Brooklyn, not just popular stops like Union Square or Columbus Circle.
My hope is that by the time I graduate and hopefully work in the city, the subway system is greatly improved. Until then I will continue to deal with its many inconveniences on my excursions around the city, hoping that there is some kind of change sooner rather than later.
