Jaffe

Staying connected

The New York Times reported this morning that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has struck a deal with a company called Transit Wireless to provide cellphone access on the platforms of their underground subway stations. The story reminded me of one that I read at the end of last year, which reported that some airlines would be providing in-flight cellphone access.

I'm sure there are a lot of people who want to stay connected 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but I'm definitely not one of them. Some New Yorkers say that the new subway plan will help during emergencies. The thing is, anyone who has been in a situation where a large number of people are trying to contact their family and friends knows that the networks have a hard time handling the increased number of calls.

So why should subway passengers, who already have to endure hot, dirty platforms, be forced to listen to the ring tones and phone conversations of others while waiting for the next train? If the phone access is really for emergencies, can't they turn the signal on only during emergency situations?

Labels: New York, social commentary, subway

posted by Aron @ 9:00 AM 1 comments

New York Oddity #3 - hot subway tunnels, cold subway cars

It's definitely summer here - today is supposed to top out at 92F (33C), 'feeling like 98F (37C)'. I lived in London during the record-breaking heatwave a couple of years ago, when the temperature reached 100F (38C). Taking the Tube during the heatwave was disgusting, because the London Underground isn't air conditioned. Inevitably I wound up in a hot, crowded car (carriage) standing next to someone who hadn't showered, or at least smelled like they hadn't showered.

Hot days are rare in London, so having air conditioning in the Tube is only something you think about a few days a year, but here in New York it's a necessity. The subway cars are kept as cold as you would expect here in the States (i.e., very cold), but the subway platforms are often unbearably hot. Why? Two words - design flaw. Perhaps the engineer who designed the system should have spent more time learning how an air conditioner works!

Labels: New York Oddity, subway, summer

posted by Aron @ 4:13 PM 0 comments