Amy's Robot

New Subway Rules of Conduct

The New York City subway system has had a code of conduct for many years, with common sense rules about how to behave on the subway. No alcohol, no littering, no panhandling, no smoking, things like that. A new set of regulations recently published adds a few more prohibitions to the list. Now subway riders aren't supposed to put their feet on the seats. Or ride a skateboard, or walk between cars (this is a very common practice, but a dangerous one. Remember when that guy died a few years ago when he walked between cars while riding the subway with his fiance, on their way to get a marriage license?) The possible banning of photography has been raised again.

The Times article says these new rules "are are enforceable by police officers and transit workers, and violations can result in a summons and a fine, or prosecution and a jail sentence." We can think of some other behaviors we would like to see limited on the subway, such as:

• ass grabbing
• pole leaning (this one has famously incited violence among subway riders)
• fingernail clipping (personally, this one fills me with totally irrational levels of anger)
• loudly complaining about how crowded the subway is and how people are touching you every single morning during rush hour. If you don't like riding the subway, which you pretty much know will always be crowded, take a cab
• changing your baby's diaper. Yes, I have witnessed this. It was almost impressive enough that I would consider allowing it, but really, people. Keep that diaper on until you get home

categories: News
posted by amy at 3:34 PM | #