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Photo by Jake Dobkin.
In case you weren't feeling confined enough while riding through the underground tunnels of New York, the MTA has taken a step to ensure everyone gets that cozy feeling of claustrophobia during their commutes. As shown in the above photo, the organization is now allowing full window ads. These aren't the kind that you can see clearly out of either, as one disgruntled straphanger noted: "outward visibility is significantly reduced in outdoor lighting, and severely reduced to totally eliminated at night or in low lighting." Someone bail the MTA out before we all become walking billboards.
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Wow, that's insane. People complained about the scratches and acid graffiti on the windows, enjoy not seeing outside of the window at all. :D Mta sucks.
As a new yorker have always hated brands and agencies who do this to windows. I actually passed on hiring a guy into a GCD position at my first agency because he had this kind of thing in his book and was proud of it in kind of a "hey, I don't care, it isn't my buss/subway/apartment" kind of way.
wow....
It is here to stay.
Cant see out of the car? I dont see this lasting long.
If I see one of these I will tear it down. I don't care what they do to the ad panels, exterior, etc. but they need to keep off the windows.
Now there's no easy out to avoid eye contact with that pretty girl sitting across the way. :(
I would only be on board with this if the MTA didn't implement fare hikes and used this as a vehicle for income.
They would definitely have to make sure that announcements are clear (audibly and visually) in case people are dependent on seeing which station they are pulling into.
Thanks. How am I supposed to see what station I'm in? Half the time you can't hear announcements, and that's with the iPod OFF.
The subways will be looking a lot like Grand Central in the 70s and 80s.
That seems to be a major security issue.
Imagine a gang of thugs beating someone and an oblivious cop on the other side of some ad.
/cue snarky oblivious cop comments
exactly Bizzle, i was just about to write about how this can be discriminatory to the deaf.
what a bad idea. put ads on the steps & turnstiles, but we need to be able to see out the window so we know where we are.
Write a letter!
http://www.mta.info/regularmail.htm
This has GOT to be a joke.
Yikes!
all i seem to be able to think about is drinking a coke.
A ploy so that commuters cant see out the window when transit cops are ass raping people with their batons.
I'll take these trains covered in ads any day before having another 5 years of fair hikes so that by 2013 we're paying $250/month for an unlimited pass. At least it shows they are trying something else, plus it gives graffiti artists a whole new set of canvases. I just wish they weren't covering the windows.
"an oblivious cop"?
So the MTA sanctions branded graffiti now? They are sooooooo stupid.
This is pretty bad. I don't mind the "wrap" advertising (like what's been on the Times Square shuttle for Google and Mad Men), but blocking something which actually serves a purpose (the damn window!) is just laughable. Seriously, how is one supposed to see the station?
Did Dick Ravitch approve this?
zoofroy, I hope your right but as it would be incredibly Stupid, Would anyone be surprised?
IMO: Has to be a Photoshop job.
I need to see what stop I'm getting off sometimes!!! WTF
^Felix, Exacly what i was thinking, especially when every 2 mins(the only announcement that's ever clear) we hear, to keep our eyes open and report it..."if you see something, say something" How about I Can't see!
If i get in a car like this, i would def switch.
I agree with the whole concept for generating MTA revenue, but not at the expense of rider safety. They need to make these type of things see through.
I don't usually point out bad reporting on here, but the "disgruntled straphanger" never got on the train, so we don't actually know whether you can see out of it or not. Obviously the issues raised with seeing in still exist, but let's not freak out over seeing out, yet. This is the quote from the link in its entirety:
"I didn’t get on the train, but I assume that these ads are similar the wraps that cover the windows of buses. That is, they have tiny holes in the ad that supposedly make it so that people inside the vehicle can still see out. Well I dislike those wraps immensely, as outward visibility is significantly reduced in outdoor lighting, and severely reduced to totally eliminated at night or in low lighting."
Tbis is wrong on so many levels. I hope this is just a Photoshop mock-up.
fire the MTA
if these ads get in the way of the view from my outdoor commute, im going to find another way to get to work. the mta obviously doesnt need my money. TERRIBLE IDEA!
How is someone even supposed to tell how crowded a car is if you can't see into it?
Hi. Did you guys click on the link to my blog post? I took three photos of this myself and they are in my blog post. It's not photoshopped...
railfanwindow.com/blog
And I'm not "Jake Dobkin", who took the photo featured here in the Gothamist post.
And here's a photo taken a week ago by another person: www.nycsubway.org
Combine this with one of the announcers who sounds like they're mid-gargle and you've got one lost puppy on the subway.
Fail.
Holy shit. I'm usually sympathetic to the MTA, but fuck this.
Maybe the MTA can start piping in radio commercials during the ride - to further raise the torture bar.
Which MTA turd approved this!
When done right, exterior ads on trains/trams/buses keep the windows open, but this—THIS—is the most half-assed, knuckle-dragging approach I've ever seen!
Why can't they do something more like this?:
http://www.pinktentacle.com/2008/12/decorated-trains-in-japan/
This can't possibly end well. Late at night. Lonely, empty subway car. Drunk hipster/ eldery pensioner/ unaccompanied young hottie enters the train. Next station stop, a wolfpack out for a little wilding boards the train. Have a Coke and a smile.
I guess we have a lot of sidewalks in NY that also
can have ad's painted on them ,Who needs this crap?
I like to look into a train as it comes in the station to see if any maniacs are in there and
to find a seat if possible as my bones show me
infrequently but enough
that i was born b4 the second ww.
@S_R
Amen. But that would require MTA staff to access to parts of the brain they've never used before. What brave soul would dare venture there.
with alllll the fucking space to advertise on they chose the window? Whoever thought this one up needs to go to the end of the unemployment line.. as well as the MTA moron who OK'd it.
Yeh, go ahead on advertise on the trains. I don't like it one bit, but if it means keeping fares down, go ahead... But your design is getting in the way of FUNCTIONAL design.
fucking. morons.
i have nothing constructive to say except:
f u mta !!
the hits just keep coming from these aholes, huh?
maybe they can TEXT us what stop we are on since no one can see out the f'ing windows!!
This is a joke. I think the city as a whole needs to get more creative on how money is spent. There is no excuse for a budget gap. There is a lot of money wasted on things that this city does not really need.
I think this form of advertising could cause major problems and lawsuits down the line.
I guess I'll just have to keep a running list of all the companies that use this kind of advertising and stop using their products. So stupid.
@S_R, they already do. See pictures here: http://www.centernetworks.com/google-nyc-subway-train-wrap
My guess is that Coke couldn't afford to pay for more than the windows. But the MTA shouldn't have given in to the window either for the reasons stated so eloquently by Brian in his rant: http://www.railfanwindow.com/blog/2008/12/ads-covering-subway-car-windows/
(Disclosure: he's my husband. And no, these aren't 'shopped.)
The wrap was an OK idea. Blocking windows is beyond counterproductive. No one will ever know what stop they are at.
I predict that otherwise law-abiding riders will take the matter into their own hands.
If this is the same vinyl wrap that I've seen on other vehicles, it is incredibly easy to scratch/peel. It would also be fairly easy to modify the ads with "user generated content."
(Not that I am advocating that)
But, I'm just saying... it would be very easy for you to do that... if you wanted your window back... which you might... ;)
Should we send out the "bat signal" for Poster Boy?
please tear down any that can.
I swear to tear off those things any time I see them. And FUCK YOU Coca-Cola for buying that crap ad.
safety issue and security concerns about covering windows of subway cars:
Email the Mayor here:
http://tinyurl.com/puc48
And when you're done emailing the mayor, copy & paste your concerns/discontent here:
http://mta-nyc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/mta_nyc.cfg/php/enduser/ask.php
I am fine with the ad-wrapped coke-bottles-on-the-seats-and-floors subway cars, but the windows? come on. what's worse is that it's JUST the window.
oh what a terribly stupid and unsafe idea. And I don't even CARE if you can see out. I also want to be able to see IN before I get on.
As mayor Bloomberg announced today at a press conference, "I have heard all the concerns regarding the new revenue generating ads in our subway system and reviewed it with my advisers. We have found that it is the only way, other than congestion pricing and building a sports stadium on the west side, to close the budget gap we are facing. Our subways are the safest in the world and Coca Cola has been a long term co-partner in making New York what it is today."
"When I am elected for my third term, since I am the only one who has the ability and experience as a money manager, you my tax paying suckers, oops I meant citizens will see change."
If they have to do this, why not use the ads that you can see through from inside (like on some buses?)
Typical New York: cover everything in shitty marketing and advertizing and walk away with the money. I'd like to put this shit up on Dale Hemmerdinger's house and see how much that shitbag can take.
Subway train? Bus? What are those?
I ride my trusty two wheel bike.
I don't pay them a penny. Except on occasion.
I don't get why they can't put ads on the windows that have some visibility through them. Doesn't make sense. And Bloomberg saying that Coke has helped make NYC what it is today? Ummmm... They bought some high-profile billboards, what else have they done? And really, haven't the commuters made NYC what it is today? Shouldn't we have some say in this?
Let's replace announcements with ads, too!
How will people know what stop they are at? Not all the trains have (clear) announcements, nor are they are digitalized-up like the L. On the G train you gotta be looking out those windows or you'll miss your stop! This is a ridiculous idea!
This is a TERRIBLE idea. People will not know which stop they are at (90% of the time the audio stop announcements are completely unintelligible, plus what about the hearing impaired?!).
Also, I've been to the MTA's own transit museum. If you take a look at the exhibit about the old train cars you'll come across an interesting bit of information. Apparently when the first subway cars were fist designed to be completely windowless. Guess what happened? A large portion of riders experienced motion sickness because they had no exterior point of reference! Hope you like the "we're delayed because of a sick passenger" announcements because if this crap stays there's gonna be a lot more of them...
Apparently the original subway cars were first designed to be completely windowless.
Sorry, anger makes me typo.
No comment editing?
I dont mind ads on the train, but why block the windows... cant they stick them on any other areas? Theres loads of blank metal space available for whatever ads they want.
My friend has bladder cancer
his MD said it was from a combination
of" Ciggie's and his drinking the Phosphoric
acid in Coke" be forewarned this drink could be
carcinogenic.
It's 50/50 whether this may be fatal
as a cancer in time.
Trading individual vandals for corporate vandals... at least we can see through scratchiti!
missed stops, depressing atmosphere, sheltered place to conduct criminal activity...
bad idea.
"Now stopping at 42nd street, sponsored by Coca Cola!"