We'd like to take a moment to talk about the High Entrance Exit Turnstile (HEET) at many subway stations. A friend was telling us how he was fined for allowing another straphanger enter the station with him. Our friend wasn't trying to deliberately flout the law - he thought he was being a Good Samaritan because the straphanger had just swiped through, but accidentally turned the turnstile from one behind where you're supposed to, so he was out of luck on his unlimited ride Metrocard, thanks to the 15 waiting period before using it again. Now, this is something Gothamist sees at least once a day - some more, unsuspecting person doesn't realize that when you use a HEET, you need to be right inside in order to get to the other side. So, our friend let the poor chap enter the station with him on his card - only for a cop to ticket him. D'oh!
The other thing we hate about the HEET and regular turnstiles is that they don't tell you when your Metrocard is expiring. Please, MTA? But what we love about HEET is its other nickname: The Iron Maiden. NYC Subway on the Fare Control devices.
Photograph from Tien Mao
