After four years of not giving subway riders tinnitus, the MTA is bringing back those piercing alarms at some stations' subway emergency exits. The MTA's Chief Customer Officer Sarah Meyer confirmed the development on Twitter, after riders noticed that alarms were ringing again at Union Square, Columbus Circle, and Jay Street-Metrotech.
Thank you. No. The alarms are not all being switched back on. We are complying with NYPD's request to reactivate alarms at 10 select stations as they work to prevent fare evasion. We will see if this pilot proves effective and will report back.
— Sarah Meyer (@SarahMeyerNYC) January 15, 2019
Let's refresh your memory about what those sound like:
The alarms and their corresponding gated doors were originally installed in stations in 2006, to bring the MTA up to code. Originally meant for emergency use only, many commuters opted to exit through those doors, instead of taking their chances with the "baby back ribs of death," a.k.a. those high, barred turnstiles. Even Taylor Swift, who performed in the subway during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, had the alarm shriek (go to the 2:35 mark) as she and a large group ran out of the Rockefeller Center station.
After many years of complaints, the MTA turned off all stations' alarms in 2014. At the time, an MTA spokesman told WNYC, "Our customers have been quite clear in displaying their annoyance and letting us know that the alarms really were the number one annoyance for them as they travel through the system."
However, the MTA claimed last month that it was losing over $200 million in revenue due to fare evasion, and even produced a montage of various fare-beating techniques—amongst a diverse group of New Yorkers—to make the point. Some of the people seen in the video enter the subway station though the emergency exits. (The NYPD has been criticized for targeting black and Hispanic riders when making fare beating arrests. )
Many New Yorkers use the subway emergency exits out of necessity. For instance, people carrying large bags or luggage or pushing strollers:
Now we get to hear ear-piercing alarms and ear-piercing baby screams because strollers are still a thing and turnstiles don’t accommodate them
— Lucas (@LucasToGo) January 16, 2019
One subway rider told the Post, "I think they should use different sounds — maybe like a humming noise. Something that won’t bother your eardrums or your mind and make you say, 'Oh, Lord!'"
Let us know if you've noticed the alarms activated at your station. For everyone else, let's pray this silence continues:
