TO: Carmen Bianco, President MTA New York City Trarnsit

TO: Carmen Bianco, President MTA New York City Trarnsit

FROM: Ahmed Ashfaque, Dov Berkman, and Megan Keane

RE: Quality of Life & The New York City Subway

DATE: 3/10/2015

POLICY OPTIONS BRIEF

PROBLEM: Quality of Life and the New York City Subway

Commuters on New York’s 6 Train know that the last or first stop is Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall. Many would not think to step on the train before it turns around and appears on the Bronx-bound side of the station, yet those who do take the short ride become witnesses to something that many have never seen. The train passes through the Old City Hall station that is virtually unchanged since it closed 70 years ago in 1945. The station is majestic and clean, and completely dissimilar to today’s dirty stations. The ride is peaceful and quiet, a concept that is completely foreign to the average commuter. Imagine how different a New Yorker’s day could be if he or she could enjoy a commute similar to the experience described above.

New York City’s current subway system recently celebrated its one-hundredth birthday, and a system that is a century old is going to have some flaws. In addition to its age, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) website explains that the Subway features 660 miles of track - making it one of the most expansive in the world, and also one of the most difficult to maintain. We trust that, in coming years, our government and the MTA will do its part to modernize the system in order to better meet the demands of their constituents and visitors. In the meantime, we have a few suggestions for utilizing available resources that will make the New Yorkers’ commutes more pleasant.

Our interest focuses on two broad problems; the wait, or the time spent in Subway stations, and the ride, meaning time spent on the trains. Much of the city’s character lives on the Subway. Station music and the subway tile are iconic parts of the city that make it unlike anywhere else in the world. However, New Yorkers should be able to enjoy the feeling of being part of a unique town without excessive noises and dirt that are part of a commuter’s everyday life.

Subway stations cannot be perfect, but they can be better. Many stations’ tracks are filled with trash, and their tiles stained from the exposed leaking pipes above that also drop dirty water on the heads of travelers. The New York Post summarizes a recent MTA study detailing the condition of the stations. “Only 25 percent of stations are considered to be in good repair — and many have worn-out platform edges, damaged stairs, peeling paint, and broken tiles” (Feuerhd et. al., 2014). This memorandum will offer practical solutions to aid in the maintenance and repair of these stations.

The memorandum also proposes ideas to make a ride on the train more tolerable. Too often, the elderly, pregnant, and disabled are not offered a seat, and the city is now considering ways to tackle an overuse of space that has been dubbed “manspreading”(Fitzsimmons, 2014). It’s unlikely, however, that an advertising campaign does enough and we will suggest creative methods that would at least start to encourage a new, more pleasant culture in subway cars.

Many of New York City’s 8 million residents rely on the subways every day; according to the MTA, an average weekday features 5.5 million rides. Additionally, a recent study indicates that New York residents are the most unhappy residents of any large metropolis in the country (Glaeser et. al., 2014, 63). We recognize that there are certain issues that cannot be solved without overhauling the city’s budget and causing other social and economic consequences. There is no solution in this memorandum to train delays, nor is there a solution to overcrowding. However, we believe that there are practical solutions that can improve the quality of life for New Yorkers and we thank you in advance for your consideration.

POLICY SOLUTION: Beautification

The first policy option we propose is the beautification of subway stations through renovations. With the current infrastructure in NYC, it is both physically and financially irresponsible to construct new subway stations as alternatives to old, overcrowded subway stations. With the exception of the Second Avenue Line - which has been in the works since 1929 and is expected to cost over $17 billion - the MTA has focused their energy away from new subway lines and into creating new bus lines (Hawkins, 2014). It is for this reason that we propose the beautification of subway stations as a viable alternative.

The beautification of subway stations through renovations can address three different challenges facing the MTA: quality of life, efficient use of station space, and safety.

Beautification has historically been used both above and below ground as a way to increase an individual’s quality of life. Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign sums this up by describing “...an era when subways were meant to enhance the quality of life in the city...they do now, but not with beautiful stations” (Flegenheimer, 2013). The MTA currently solicits art projects to enhance the commuter’s experience and dissuade the practice of graffiti, but focuses more energy on contracting out designs for specific locations within subway stations (NYC DOT, 2015).

Beautification is more than the creation of a visually pleasing subway station. Through renovations and beautification efforts, the current infrastructure in place can be reassigned to make more efficient use of space. The best example of a currently existing reassignment is on the Grand Central Station 7 line platform. During rush hour, all escalators on the 7 line platform lead up towards the 4/5/6 and S line platforms. During off-peak hours, one escalator leads up towards the 4/5/6 and S line platforms, while the other leads down to the 7 line platform. This is an example of creative problem solving when presented with infrastructure limitations. Similar reassignments of traffic flow can be implemented in other stations throughout the system to enhance efficiency as it applies to use of space.

Reconstruction and beautification of subway stations can be used to promote safety within the station. If the station is already being renovated, safety upgrades can occur at the same time. Some of these upgrades include the widening of platforms to minimize the gap, increasing the amount of working service boxes, constructing railings along the edge of platforms where train cars do not board, and posting of warnings on topics ranging from the dangers of falling onto the tracks to suicide prevention hotlines.

Since the NYC subway system is a 24-hour system, there will be minimal station closures necessary to complete renovations. Portions of stations can be closed off for beautification efforts and full stations can be closed on nights and weekends for large-scale renovations. In the case that an entire station needs to be closed, the MTA can provide shuttle bus service as an alternative. This has proved successful in the past, especially with the renovations to the G line (Dai, 2014).

While beautification has the reputation for becoming expensive - especially with the recent redesign of Fulton Center costing $1.4 billion instead of the originally budgeted $750 million - it can be completed in a fiscally responsible way (Laskow, 2015). During Squire Vickers’ tenure as Chief Architect of the NYC subway system, beautification efforts took on practical applications; decorative mosaic tiles “...were made flat...to avoid dust ledges...so they would be cheaper to clean. They could also be set by hand in the factory instead of piece by piece on the wall, making them less expensive to install” (Kennedy, 2007).

We present three different options for funding for this policy. The first option is the creation of a sponsorship program for subway stations, similar to the “adopt-a-highway” program. The second option is the creation of a foundation, similar to the Central Park Conservancy, to fund and attract resources for beautification. The third option is through a combination of current MTA funds and grant programs through the federal government.

Our beautification proposal is cost effective and provides reasonable accommodations during renovation periods; we believe it presents a viable solution to the quality of life issues affecting the NYC subway system.

POLICY SOLUTION: Etiquette

Residents of New York, and those who commute into the City, have a deep sense of impartially towards the lives of people around them. When millions are using a facility, it becomes hard to be nice all the time when it directly conflicts with self-interest. Therefore, the proposals offered above about beautification, safety and quality of our subways correlate directly with the attitudes of people it encompasses. Better safety, nicer looking stations, and a smoother ride all will have a direct positive psychological impact on its riders which in turn will produce a more compassionate, less hostile and more accommodating reaction from its riders towards the plight of their fellow riders.

Recent signs being displayed across NYC’s subways reminding people about basic etiquette underscore a prevailing problem that New Yorkers face on a daily basis. However, the problem for many is not just that of poor manners by its millions of riders, but a deeper more innate one.

For too long, we have been riding the subways a certain way, thus the behavior has now been embedded in the psyche of the Subway users. This problem has become increasingly difficult to solve - when it comes to subways “people literally never learn” referring to, in this case, the various scenes one sees on the subway from the ‘Manspread’ to the subway door ‘huddle’ and beyond (Carlson, 2014).

Although the current policy highlighting the problems of bad behavior and inconsiderate attitudes by fellow subway riders may prove to be effective, it has yet to resonate with its viewers as we continue to see the same behavior today. Shaming the riders is a good first step towards adopting better etiquette, but more needs to be done.

For this reason, we recommend the implementation of a risk and reward programs to further enhance the quality of the subways. Similar to NY1’s ‘New Yorkers of the Week” initiative, which conducts that highlights the good work done by residents of NYC each week, a similar initiative can be started for ‘Rider of the Week.’ This program would promote positive attitudes and the amazing things that happen in the city underneath the great NYC, which is the NY underground.

Society not only needs laws, but the implementation of those laws. The underground seems to be a place where implementation lacks a bite. Chaos, confusion, sweat and filth are all mixed together with impolite, impatient and ungoverned populace just a few feet below NYC. Making this underground city a bit more hospitable can go a long way in making the lives of millions much better.

Thank you for your consideration, and we look forward to working with you on improving the lives of millions of New Yorkers.

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Carlson, Jen (2014, December 23). Will These New MTA Posters Help Stop Bad Subway Etiquette? Gothamist. Retrieved March 9, 2015 from www.gothamist.com/2014/12/23/mta_subway_etiquette.php

Dai, Serena (2014, August 25). G Train Shuttle Bus Runs Better Than the Train Did, Riders Say. DNA Info. Retrieved March 8, 2015 from www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20140825/greenpoint/g-train-shuttle-bus-runs-better-than-train-did-riders-sayhttp://web.mta.info/nyct/facts/ffsubway.htm

http://web.mta.info/nyct/facts/ffsubway.htm

Feuerherd, B., & Harshbarger, R. (2014, October 2). Park Slope Subway Station one of NYC's Worst: Report. Retrieved March 7, 2015, from http://nypost.com/2014/10/02/park-slope-subway-station-one-of-nycs-worst-report/

Fitzsimmons, E. (2014, December 20). A Scourge Is Spreading. M.T.A.’s Cure? Dude, Close Your Legs. Retrieved March 7, 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/21/nyregion/MTA-targets-manspreading-on-new-york-city-subways.html

Flegenheimer, Matt (2013, November 29). In Subways, Suddenly, 2 Glimpses of History. The New York Times. Retrieved March 8, 2015 from www.nytimes.com/2013/11/30/nyregionin-the-subway-tunnels-two-contrasting-paths-into-new-york-history.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/21/nyregion/MTA-targets-manspreading-on-new-york-city-subways.html

Glaeser, E., Gottlieb, J., & Ziv, O. (2014). Unhappy Cities. NBER Working Paper Series, 63-63. Retrieved March 7, 2015, from http://www.nber.org/papers/w20291.pdf

http://www.nber.org/papers/w20291.pdf

Hawkins, Andrew J. (2014, December 18). Second Avenue Subway’s First Phase is 76% Done. Crains New York. Retrieved March 8, 2015 from www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20141218/BLOGS04/141219836/second-avenue-subways-first-phase-is-76-done

Kennedy, Randy (2007, August 3). Underground Renaissance Man: Watch the Aesthetic Walls, Please. The New York Times. Retrieved March 8, 2015 from www.nytimes.com/2007/08/03/arts/design/03subw.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Lascow, Sarah (2015, February 6). How Simulators are Changing Subway-Station Design. Capital New York. Retrieved March 8, 2015 from www.capitalnewyork.com/article/city-hall/2015/02/8561081/how-simulators-are-changing-subway-station-design

New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) (2015). 191st Street Tunnel Beautification Application. Retrieved March 8, 2015 from www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/2015-03-191st-st-tunnel-beautification-rfq.pdf