tbf the nyc subway is extremely convoluted and unintuitive to use compared to more civilized metros, lots of arcane rules like “only the first 3 cars can fit in this station so if you want to get off there you better remember where in the train you are” or “trains with prime numbers only stop at every other station during rush hour” which are never posted anywhere. It’s like the least beginner-friendly metro of any on earth, even ones where the beginner doesn’t speak the local language.
that said it’s still not that hard, you buy a ticket, you try to get on the right train, and worst-case you end up 20 blocks away from your destination and try again
You don’t need an app, it just removes the entire learning curve. Honestly it’s three systems that were kludged together, and some parts are a century old. It should be better, but it’s understandable for what it is.
Whatever station this is is out of service for the weekend (probably due to maintenance) and they’re telling people what alternatives there are to taking the trains at that station
maybe it was construction-related, if the intercom worked I might’ve been able to hear what the conductor was trying to say about it instead of a garbled static version of the teacher’s voice in charlie brown
Oh yeah I forgot about the old South Ferry station, but I never went there because Staten Island sucks. I also moved away 5 years ago and was worried I forgot lol
every western transit designer should be required by law to visit one or more major east asia cities to see how they do it. I’ve been a few places in taiwan, RoK, japan and even as a non-local language speaker the transit was super easy to use. lots of colour coding on paths to guide you around and signage was really good too. this was 10+ years ago now but these cities definitely set the bar to me. I’m curious what modern transit looks like in mainland china, I’ve never been.
It’s not nearly as bad as this but yes NYC has this concept of “express” trains that skip stations during rush hours even when it’s the same train line, and it can be very confusing even if you’ve taken any other metro on earth.
Oh yeah the T is garbage, but the difference is Bostonians don’t pretend it’s anything other than a straight-up dumpster fire. It’s also substantially easier to figure out than whatever tf is happening with the NYC subway. Plus they’ve at least been experimenting with fare-free service.
tbf the nyc subway is extremely convoluted and unintuitive to use compared to more civilized metros, lots of arcane rules like “only the first 3 cars can fit in this station so if you want to get off there you better remember where in the train you are” or “trains with prime numbers only stop at every other station during rush hour” which are never posted anywhere. It’s like the least beginner-friendly metro of any on earth, even ones where the beginner doesn’t speak the local language.
that said it’s still not that hard, you buy a ticket, you try to get on the right train, and worst-case you end up 20 blocks away from your destination and try again
transit apps have trivialized all of this
you don’t even need a Metrocard anymore!
Any system designed for the general population that’s so complicated you need an app navigate it is a bad system.
You don’t need an app, it just removes the entire learning curve. Honestly it’s three systems that were kludged together, and some parts are a century old. It should be better, but it’s understandable for what it is.
What it is is a primitive garbage metro that new yawkers have a weird superiority complex about
New Yawk sucks, but the metro is okay relative to the country generally.
What in the ever loving fuck?
Whatever station this is is out of service for the weekend (probably due to maintenance) and they’re telling people what alternatives there are to taking the trains at that station
Is this an LSAT question?
The East Asian skull shape is unable to comprehend this even though it’s peak efficiency, American exceptionalism right here baby.
Not once in the 40 years I lived in NYC has this happened to me.
maybe it was construction-related, if the intercom worked I might’ve been able to hear what the conductor was trying to say about it instead of a garbled static version of the teacher’s voice in charlie brown
This is much more common on the LIRR or NJ Transit than the subway. Certain stations only allow the first 10 cars, last four cars, etc
The old South Ferry station used to be like this, otherwise I can’t remember of any others.
Oh yeah I forgot about the old South Ferry station, but I never went there because Staten Island sucks. I also moved away 5 years ago and was worried I forgot lol
every western transit designer should be required by law to visit one or more major east asia cities to see how they do it. I’ve been a few places in taiwan, RoK, japan and even as a non-local language speaker the transit was super easy to use. lots of colour coding on paths to guide you around and signage was really good too. this was 10+ years ago now but these cities definitely set the bar to me. I’m curious what modern transit looks like in mainland china, I’ve never been.
Nordic countries have good transit too, but admittedly nowhere near the same throughput as a metro in China
Shirley you can’t be serious?
It’s not nearly as bad as this but yes NYC has this concept of “express” trains that skip stations during rush hours even when it’s the same train line, and it can be very confusing even if you’ve taken any other metro on earth.
Memories of trying to catch the Z train for funsies and then learning it only has 6 trips every day
I caught it once and jumped on just to see the Z
Having lived in NYC, I completely agree, but Boston would like to have a word.
I was craving the clarity and forward thinking that the MTA has compared to the MBTA.
Oh yeah the T is garbage, but the difference is Bostonians don’t pretend it’s anything other than a straight-up dumpster fire. It’s also substantially easier to figure out than whatever tf is happening with the NYC subway. Plus they’ve at least been experimenting with fare-free service.