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You complain about the dirty subways, the MTA complains about the media: The MTA put the blame on free newspapers for giving subway riders more things to drop on the floor and cause track fires. The MTA says that trash pickups have increased by almost 43% (35 tons in 2004 to 50 tons last year), which may have led to the 40% increase in track fires (the Daily News has lower numbers, which we can't quite figure out). Of course, the Daily News and Post love that the MTA is blaming the rise in problems to AM New York and Metro (combined circulation is around 600,000), but politicians say the MTA is being "disingenuous" since the agency has cuts its maintenance crews. Maybe the MTA needs to be better about putting newspaper recycling containers at its stations, like these clear ones at the Jay Street stop. What's interesting is the hypothesis the MTA has about the free newspaper causing track fires - if stacks of the free newspapers are set near a platform edge, the vacuum effect of the trains causes them to be "pulled into the tracks," but it's not just the free papers - many a time Gothamist will see all sorts of papers left on the subway platform (or subway car seats) for other riders to enjoy them. And we're more upset about seeing food and drink on the subway platform. For instance, who the hell left their cereal on the subway platform the other day? Think about that one, MTA!
Last April, the Straphangers called the 1 (and 9) line the dirtiest in the system.
Photograph from The Rappaz Horror Picture Show on Flickr
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Every day, the trash cans on the Union Square platforms are overflowing with trash- maybe they could send someone to empty them once or twice during rush hour? That could help.
It would be nice in this overwhelming Democrat city if people would recycle their waste. The MTA could provide recycle bins but we all know that people would throw their food waste in as well. Maybe people could interpret "it takes a village" as meaning somethng more than simply paying high taxes.
We can't completely blame the MTA for this one. I've seen countless people just throw their trash onto the platform and tracks when plenty of empty garbage cans are available. Sometimes they are literally standing NEXT to the garbage cans and still throw their stuff on to the tracks. It is extremely infuriating to watch. Maybe New Yorkers should take some initiative and stop being such pigs. And while you're at it, stop hawking lugies on to the tracks. It's just gross!
People put all sorts of trash in the Jay St. containers, not just recyclables. It's actually pretty gross.
The recycling containers at Grand Central on the Metro North lines work perfectly. They are right near the stairs and people put their papers in as they leave the train. Since there are trash cans right next to it, and its obvious that the newspaper bin is for newspapers only, it works quite well.
When I saw this news story this morning, I can't believe that the MTA has the gall to blame the papers when the situation could be vastly improved with the implementation of similar recycling bins that the Metro North lines have.
If the NYPD began aggressively ticketing people for littering in the subway, I believe this problem would be solved.
The problem with the Jay St. recycling bins is that the opening is too big. People can, and will, throw anything in them. If they want to capture newspapers, and only newspapers, the bin should have a slot that is just a little bigger than a paper.
yeah the "Don't Litter" campaign is way oudated. How about giving it a New York flair: "Hey! Stop Littering or else! What? You got a problem with not littering?" or something like that.
Hey Smitty
People that ride Metro North are generally rich and educated. They can tell the difference between a garbage can and a recycling bin. Same reason why Metro North trains are clean and odor free. Just imagine what the in-car restroom would be like on a subway car.
With the MTA saying these rags account for 15 MORE tons of garbage per day, wouldn't the logical conclusion be to fine the publishers of these papers for littering? Yeah, New Yorkers are slobs and yeah the MTA is lazy and woefully understaffed, but you get to a point where the people throwing (and those publishing) these equivalents to word a day toilet paper at everyone have to take some responsibility as well. Fining them is the only way to change the situation and not adapt to the “new normal” of increased subway fires and litter.
yangtze
"wouldn't the logical conclusion be to fine the publishers of these papers for littering?"
You are about as logical as the average mainlander!
Why not fine the gun makers for every shooting death? Why not fine McD for every obese diabetic?
Precedent has already been set: Cigarettes are hugely taxed in NY state because they create huge drains on the health care system. Why not levy a huge tax on other things that create a public nuisance/danger? We'll use your examples: If Mcdonalds makes people fat/sick, fine them until they have to change their menu to be healthier; if gunmakers get fined for each shooting death, it becomes necessary for them to spend some of their billions in lobbying money to figure out a way to make guns less available to those who do the shooting. How is it wrong to make the company responsible for the subway fire that kills people accountable especially if the oblivious evidence, eg. 15 more tons of paper every day, is obliviously the result of their business plan?
To be clear: I like Mcdonalds and I am an NRA member. I just think some corporations/ businesses have to take some responsibility (or, you know, have it thrust upon them in the form of huge hits to their bottom line) for any sort of change to take place in our corporate driven society. I know the concept of corporate responsibility is novel to some but that doesn’t make it illogical.
yangtze,
What ever happened to personal responsibility? People have officially known smoking is hazardous for almost 50 years and probably unofficially for hundreds. And they continue to smoke. Again, it takes a village. Do the village a favor and quit smoking. And lose a few pounds. When I was a kid my mom took us to McDonald's as a treat, not as a daily substitute for cooking.
And politicians that want to recoup their medical expenses for smoking conveniently leave out the savings they gain from smokers premature death. A smoker that dies at 65 saves the federal government about 15 to 20 years of Social Security payments. Numbers can say anything you want them to.