New York City is not ready for disaster

Posted on Thursday, March 24, 2011 at 01:22 AM

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When it rains hard in New York City the subways often run late; many times trains stall or are even pulled out of service.

Other times old traffic signals on the subway lines malfunction, holding up thousands of commuters in packed carriages or on crowded platforms.

Sometimes there'll be announcement; sometimes you'll wait without explanation for ten, twenty, even thirty minutes.

If subways are the arteries of New York City, then they're often clogged.

Overcrowding in the carriages is such a daily occurrence that it becomes easy to forget that it really shouldn't be happening. When subway doors open commuters often can neither exit or board due to the tight crush of bodies.

People complain, of course they complain, they call the MTA or they bitch to themselves or to others on the crowded platforms. Sometimes furious confrontations occur. But the same conditions continue, week after week after week.

It's insulting and sad, really. Because Americans work harder and for longer hours with less benefits than any other country in the western world. The majority of them probably don't even know they do. They get up, steel themselves, and just get on with it in a way that would be completely inexplicable to many other cultures.

They deserve much better than what they pay for and are given.

It's been almost ten years since 9/11. That's a long time to address obvious weaknesses in the system. But New York's infrastructure - it's clogged bridges, it's crowded subways and lumbering train lines - do not seem ready to shoulder the burden of a panicked citizenry. Often they don't even seem capable of rising to inclement weather.

The images out of Japan last week ought to have rattled us to the marrowbone. How can we even pretend we're ready to meet the challenges that face us in this new decade when the truth is that in New York City in 2011 a subway car can be delayed because it rained?

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billyjustin | Mar 24, 2011, 12:59 PM EDT

i was in new york 14 days ago, my very first time in Manhatten, I noticed when you wait for the Bus / Train everybody takes out their iphone/ipod, put on their ear piece and eyes to the ground, i got lost once and when i asked for help it was amazing how much the people wanted to interact, loved how helpful everybody was and i will be back.. billy from Limerick.

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antoman | Mar 24, 2011, 12:40 PM EDT

Apparently there are illegal aliens in New York.Any idea what planet their from or does no one care?

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cillowen | Mar 24, 2011, 12:24 PM EDT

the sheep bleat on trying to survive high tolls, high taxes, high gasoline prices and so the bleat goes on.

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Searlit | Mar 24, 2011, 10:26 AM EDT

Cahir, your article is spot on. The only thing I thought you would mention was the Indian Point nuclear power plant, twenty-five miles away, which is considered at highest risk. I don't think a lot of people know about that either.

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DennisQ | Mar 24, 2011, 02:21 AM EDT

New York needs an influx of Irish people to set it right again. Back in the day "when New York was Irish" the town ran like a top. Sure, there were complaints about back-room deals, but when you stood on the platform waiting for a train, one would be along momentarily.

New York is among the world's most resilient big cities. You've only to look back to September 11th to see how quickly New Yorkers got back to normal. For a big city, it's very nimble. If a similar disaster struck elsewhere, it would have taken the residents much longer to get their lives back on track.

Bring on the Irish! It's what New York has needed for years and years. Bring back the parties and weddings
the ceilis and wakes
when New York was Irish
fully of joy and heart breaks.

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