MTA Apologizes Again For Bad Wednesday Commutes

The MTA's CEO Lee Sander says that the agency will consider crediting unlimited ride Metrocards for travel missed on Wednesday, during the subway shutdown due to severe flooding. That's a novel idea from the MTA, but getting credited less than $4 seems like a hollow gesture - what about the overall pain and suffering of riders?

The MTA should try to do something more meaningful, though a something it could actually execute escapes us (we doubt they'd cancel a fare hike). Still the Straphangers' Campaign's Gene Russianoff tells the Times, "They have amends to make. It won’t reverse what happened, but it shows that the often faceless M.T.A. officials are human beings."

Sander also said, "There were aspects that could have been handled better by the MTA. I apologize for the fact that the system has not performed the way we would like it to." Well, sure.

Though the city braced itself for another heavy onslaught of rain today, it looks like we'll get less than two inches rain today. Which is good: There's only one subway service alert (the F in Queens). The MTA won't have to try out its heavy-rain tactics, which include placing additional pumps at certain locations, having more buses on handle for shuttles, and putting more personnel on site to direct people, although we do think it needs to be tested at some point.

Photograph by missapril1956 on Flickr

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By Jen Chung in News on August 10, 2007 8:26 AM

Comments [rss]

guest

-------->>>>>>>>Wedensday: As I was trying to catch a trian from 23rd st to Kings Highway on the B or Q. I was passing along viewing the citizen graphiti on the advertisements along the wall. I felt and heard a crunching sound beneth my feet, I thought it was a potatoe chip or a cookie someone left. NO-IT WAS A PINK BABY RAT!! There were 5 of them on the ground all that were being stepped on. There was a rat running at me and turning back once I moved about 5 mins after the disgust. came like 2 feet by my foot, that on top of a F train to B train that wasnt running. Back on the D train to Atlantic ave to catch the Q train that wasnt running to back on the D train to a stop not close to the one I wanted. MTA GET UR SHYT TOGETHER!

Reality Czech

I don't bike to work when it rains dumbasses.

Steven

[12]

You make a good point seeing how the Long Island RR and Metro - North RR is able to send out e-mails to people when one of their lines have delays/problems.

why isn't the NYCTA able to do this with the subway system?

guest

Perhaps those extra pumps they had ready to be moved to stations should be permanently installed there? It's just a thought...but I guess I don't get paid to think about these things...if only we had some people who ARE paid to think about this...hmmmm...

guest

I thought Reality Czech biked to work the way he was going on about it in Wednesday's comments

guest

Hmmmmmm, I had wondered why when my train got too "Jamaica-Vanwyck" they didn't hold the train in the station for clearance ! So that's why, The "F" was screwed-up ! Doesn't surprise me one bit, Anytime there is rain in the forecast the "F" has some sort of issue ! I guess when service was being restored they ran the trains express to [179]St. ! Posted by; "Still Not Amused"

guest

Lately it seems as if the Straphangers campaign is in bed with the MTA.

They had no qualms with the fare hike nor with this.

guest

The very scary part is the MTA's inability to communicate and disseminate information. Tick-tick-tick.

JRod5417

My commute on the F train was actually worse yesterday than it was on Wednesday. There was no reason and no announcements as to why. Just a typical day. Bad weather and its effect on subway service merely highlights what we already know. Subway service in general sucks.

guest

Reality Czech, your post makes no sense (as usual). Why would you pull the emergency brake on a train that was stopped? And if the train was not stopped, you wouldn’t be stuck, would you?

…Don’t answer - it’s all moot because your post is meaningless posturing. I dare you to carry a hammer and break a window on a stalled subway car, climb out, drop down to the flooded tracks and go walking through the tunnels. I double-dog-dare you.

Reality Czech

I brought a hammer with me this morning just in case. Why? Because if I get on some subway and it gets stuck due to whatever* then I will have to pull the emergency brake and break a window and walk out. Sorry, just because the MTA feels it needs to trap people in many of it's cars for whatever reason, does not mean I have to sit there and take it.

*whatever measn poor service from a corrupt agency.

guest

Did anybody find this statement in today's Times:

“Usually when stuff happens, it happens quickly and we’d have to send out 100,000 e-mails very quickly,”

by Wael Hibri, the MTA's CIO, rather odd? It's as if Hibri doesn't know how email software and databases work.

This is a trivial issue that every other medium-large company, university, and federal, state and local government entity successfully addressed long ago. Why does the MTA think this is a complex problem?

guest

Free rides for a 12 hour period would only benefit people who pay-per-ride. My unlimited wouldn't be extended by 12 hrs so it would end up being worthless to anyone with an unlimited. I'm not sure the fairest way for the MTA to credit everyone but considering the vast majority of daily commuters use an unlimited, I'm for adding a day to that.

ed_Extinct

i do not accept their apology. especially since trains today are haphazard. today. is the MTA being run by the same people as Con Ed?

guest

Yeah, I’d like to see the system fixed so this doesn’t happen again, but... pain and suffering? Amends to make? Come on. Let’s get over ourselves, please.

Rocknrope

The best apology for Wednesday could have been a good commute today, which it wasn't. Trains still seem focked. Mother Nature wins again.

Alex

While my commute today wasn't as bad as it was on Wednesday, it took an hour to get to work today instead of the usual 25 minutes. I want a credit for today too.

guest

How about free rides for everyone for a 12 hour period one day? The incredible good will this would create would offset the monetary loss.

guest

I'm confused--they'll credit unlimited ride metrocards (I guess by adding an extra day) but not pay-per-ride cards. People who paid per ride that day (like I did) were just as inconvenienced as those with unlimited cards. I realize they can't please everyone but this isn't a solution either.

I'd rather them take the money they would have credited to people and put it toward FIXING THE SYSTEM so it doesn't happen again.

guest

Yep, residents of the self-declared "toughest city in the world" sure like to talk about their pain and suffering. . . brought about by the my inane inconvenience.

Listening to them bitch and whine is my pain and suffering.