7 Train: Your Grade Is In!
The report card has been filled out & the overall grade was not that good. While the 7 train didn’t fail, the riders felt it barely passed! According to the MTA, they received 16,000 responses out of the 88,000 report cards they handed out. At first glance, the returns seem low. However if you think about it, an 18% response rate is pretty impressive. I feel it shows that commuters want their voices heard in regards to transit issues. Here are the top 10 categories that straphangers want to see improvement from:
- 1. Adequate room on board at rush hour
2. Minimal delays during trips
3. Reasonable wait times for trains
4. Train announcements that are easy to hear
5. Station announcements that are easy to hear
6. Cleanliness of stations
7. Working elevators and escalators in stations
8. Sense of security on trains
9. Cleanliness of subway cars
10. Sense of security in stations
Here is the graded breakdown for all 21 categories on the report card:
- Minimal delays during trips C-
Reasonable wait times for trains C
Adequate room on board at rush hour D
Sense of security in stations C
Sense of security on trains C
Working elevators and escalators in stations C-
Signs in stations that help riders find their way C+
Signs in subway cars that help riders find their way C
Cleanliness of stations C-
Cleanliness of subway cars C-
Station announcements that are easy to hear D+
Station announcements that are informative D+
Train announcements that are easy to hear D+
Train announcements that are informative D+
Lack of graffiti in stations C+
Lack of graffiti in subway cars C+
Lack of scratchitti in subway cars C-
Courtesy and helpfulness of station personnel C
Comfortable temperature in subway cars C
Ease of use of subway turnstiles C+
Availability of MetroCard Vending Machines B-
Based on these results, it shows that most straphangers are thinking along the same wavelength. This is of no surprise to people like myself who blog about our transit system. I am not one to defend the MTA blindly but I feel I must in regards to one of the top 3 complaints.
My defense of the MTA mainly focuses on item #3: “Reasonable wait times for trains”. I call bullshit on this complaint. While I do not ride the 7 daily, I have ridden it enough to know how that line operates. I also know many who ride it daily. I can’t recall ever hearing regular complaints about wait times, especially during rush hour. Every line has unforeseen delays but if you base it on regular service, 7 riders have it good.
During the rush hour I have seen trains come literally within 30 seconds of each other. This has been a scene that I have scene for quite sometime. Even during non rush hour periods, I’ve noticed the trains usually come within a few minutes. I really don’t see the justification in the majority of riders complaining about wait times. What do they want, a train coming every 5 seconds? This isn’t possible & even if it was, we all know they would shift their complaint to the trips being slow!
Overall I think the report cards serve some sort of purpose. If improvements can be made based on complaints, it only benefits the straphangers. However if this is going to be a success, I feel these complaints should be as legitimate as possible!
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