In Most Subway Emergencies, Don't Pull The Emergency Brake

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Even though every subway car is equipped with an emergency brake, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority says the brakes shouldn't be used during most emergencies. If there's a crime, fire, or medical emergency, straphangers shouldn't yank on the emergency brake cord. In fact, the first instruction on the "Emergency Instructions" placard tells commuters: "Do not pull the emergency cord." So, what's it good for?

According to the Times, straphangers should pull the brake if "someone gets caught between the train's closing doors, or between subway cars, and is about to be dragged to an unenviable fate." In other circumstances, pulling the cord could make it harder for help to arrive. That's what happened on a D train last November when a straphanger fatally stabbed another commuter and frightened passengers pulled the brake. The agency has told Gothamist that when a straphanger pulls the cord, it brings the train to an immediate stop using compressed-air brakes. The train crew must notify a control center, which in turn alerts police. The NYPD then advises the control center on how to respond, and that message is relayed to the train crew. It can take between 5 and 15 minutes for the crew to reset the braking function and get the train moving again.

Commuters pull the emergency brake about 1,000 times per year when there is no clear emergency. In 2009, the agency recorded 15 instances in which straphangers pulled the cord to respond to an emergency, like a sick rider, the paper notes. Some subway riders, like Brooklyn resident Zev David Deans, said the agency should more clearly outline when straphangers should, and shouldn't, use the emergency brake. "They could put it in big letters — 'Pull in case of ...' — and then the few reasons why," he said. "If it just says 'emergency,' you're going to pull it for any reason." An MTA NYC Transit spokesman said the current instructions are more than sufficient: "We think that it is clear."

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Ben Muessig in News on January 19, 2010 2:30 PM

Comments [rss]

Think2wice

The big red "panic button" on the newest subway cars are better than the emergency cord. I think folks pull the cord just so they can say to the conductor, "SOS!"

Professor_X

I don't see this as being a major issue, then again I always pull the cord BEFORE I do my stabbing.

whitecastlerock

Maybe the robot voice could tell people not to pull the brake—Then continue droning on about protecting yourself and telling an MTA employee if you see a suspicious package or activity. I had no idea there was that many instances of e brake pulling. If the MTA has been aware of the problem, why not give a sharpie marker to some of their fine employees and update the signs themselves...

dirty hipster

That will work. The one they have now telling you a crowded train does not make it okay to grope big tittied bitches is brilliant.

Snoopy

That idea will not work. Most MTA employees are illiterate.

wobbleSmith

the MTA has such a spotless history of clearly communicating to its riders. i can't believe they won't work to rectify this.

ckl

I always figured the e-brake was the result of people watching too many runaway train movies and getting paranoid and making demands.

When I live in Astoria I would have a delay on the N train almost every week from someone pulling it, it seemed.

Splicer

I wonder if they could install a safety feature so that the emergency brake can't be used while the train is moving, only when it is stopped. That way a train could be prevented from leaving a station in case of trouble but not be stranded between stops, leaving passengers to the mercy of a lunatic loose on the train.

Rocknrope

I'd rather see them install a feature that enables the doors to be electrified so that the next asshat on my train to selfishly wedge his gut between the closed doors gets his nuts cooked.

Nyctini11

i like the way you think!!

DanielJ

Before pulling the cord, all you gotta do is just think "Would it really be a great idea if the train stopped dead in its tracks right now?" If there's someone stuck in the door, the answer is yes. If someone is being stabbed, the answer is no.

REALITY CHECK

The sign is certainly not clear. If it was clear, there wouldn't be so many false pulls.

There should be a new, separate handle installed that says "Emergency Alarm" or "Emergency Help Alarm," similar in concept to a fire alarm. When pulled, a flashing strobe will light, an alarm will sound, and a signal can be sent to the conductor. This way, those 1,000 false brake pulls per year can be diverted to something useful.

The regular e-brake sign should NOT say "emergency." It should say "Manual Brake" instead of "Emergency Brake." If someone is caught in a door and is being dragged, people will know to pull on something that says "Brake."