Dangle up on this MTA boondoggle proper now.
The company wants to give us cellphone and Wi-Fi service all through the subway’s 660-plus route miles. Not solely on elevated traces and in stations (the place spotty service already exists), however within the lengthy, darkish tunnels between them.
“Individuals right this moment need to have the ability to ship emails, or texts, or have a look at their information feed or do no matter by their complete journey,” stated Fredericka Cuenca, MTA deputy chief improvement officer for planning.
Phooey, I say.
By no means thoughts that the MTA would take 10 years — longer than it took to construct the new Second Avenue line — to put in this supposed technological triumph.
By no means thoughts that it’s bananas to let folks Google porn websites en path to the workplace whereas the system’s actual crises — crime and awful service — await options.
Cell use underground would stink even when it might be arrange in a single day, even when it didn’t value the MTA a dime (which the company claims it received’t), and even when the trains ran as easily because the Swiss railways.
Name me nuts — however I’ll take Mexican guitar trios, off-key trumpet gamers, Jesus preachers and even “I’m sorry to disturb your journey” hustlers over cacophonous, vapid cell-phone jabber.
On the practice, I’m spared from listening to about my fellow residents’ home emergencies, relationship dilemmas and monkeypox theories.
“On my manner, honey!” “I’m like, ‘Get out of my face!’ ” “My cat threw up on me!”
Can’t such momentous statements wait until the following cease?
I’ve used the subway for the reason that days when vehicles truly had straps to hold onto. It’s my favourite place to combine and mingle with actual New Yorkers in all their funky selection and glory.
The jiffy between stations are treasured to these of us who discover a grinding, squealing subway automobile a counterintuitively cozy cocoon of Large Apple life.
Subways may be attractive. See the lovebirds throughout one another! And mysterious. Why is that banker-type man slumbering at 3 p.m.? The place are younger ladies in gauzy halter tops on their technique to at midnight?
However banal cellphone yakking turns the mystique to mush — and passengers into prisoners of yada yada yada.
Ah, you might ask: However what about an emergency? What if, OMG, the practice will get caught between stations?
Nicely, I’d moderately be in a stopped automobile stuffed with nervous, silent passengers than in a single the place all people is saying “Omigod we’re caught between stations” on the similar time.
Let’s hold the trains cellphone-free earlier than there’s no place left to cover from them.
