aparisi2274
Member
June 28, 2005 -- NYC Transit yesterday recommended that a host of routine subway activities be made fineable offenses including putting one's feet on a seat, straddling a bicycle, wearing roller skates and moving from one car to another.
The MTA board will meet tomorrow to vote on proposals aimed at reducing crime and improving rider safety because "riding the subway is dangerous."
If approved, the new regulations would carry fines of $50 to $100 and go into effect Oct. 1.
Asked after the vote why the new rules were needed, NYPD Transit Chief Hank Cronin said of the Transit Committee, "They create the laws, we enforce them."
Since 1996, according to NYCT, 13 people have died and 117 have been injured riding between cars.
NYCT President Lawrence Reuter said passengers wanting to switch cars should wait until the next stop and then transfer via the platform.
Cronin denied that the new rules were a Rudy Giuliani-style effort during an election year to cut down on panhandlers and peddlers moving between cars.
"This is for law enforcement and crime prevention," he said.
But NYCT spokesman Paul Fleuranges later conceded that they would have that effect.
Cronin said he hoped officers would exercise "common sense" in enforcing the ban on moving between cars.
He said suspected offenders would have to submit to an "interview process by the officer" to determine why they were hopping cars, but that in some cases such as avoiding an odor or when air conditioning is broken passengers could be deemed justified.
Neysa Pranger, campaign coordinator for the Straphangers Campaign, said those exceptions should be made explicit in the new regulations.
"There should be a clear standard," she said. "It should be easy for passengers to understand and easy for law enforcement to interpret."
There were also a few moments of de-regulatory zeal yesterday.
In one move, the NYCT committee, after "extensive public comments," recommended that the MTA scrap a proposal that would have banned photography and videotaping on the subways.
In another, the committee proposed rolling back a rule against riders' putting packages on empty seats. That would become officially acceptable provided they didn't interfere with other riders.
Asked why the MTA was in favor of relaxing that particular rule, Fleuranges pointed to a case last year of a woman who, despite being the only person in the car, was cited after placing a package beside her.
The MTA board will meet tomorrow to vote on proposals aimed at reducing crime and improving rider safety because "riding the subway is dangerous."
If approved, the new regulations would carry fines of $50 to $100 and go into effect Oct. 1.
Asked after the vote why the new rules were needed, NYPD Transit Chief Hank Cronin said of the Transit Committee, "They create the laws, we enforce them."
Since 1996, according to NYCT, 13 people have died and 117 have been injured riding between cars.
NYCT President Lawrence Reuter said passengers wanting to switch cars should wait until the next stop and then transfer via the platform.
Cronin denied that the new rules were a Rudy Giuliani-style effort during an election year to cut down on panhandlers and peddlers moving between cars.
"This is for law enforcement and crime prevention," he said.
But NYCT spokesman Paul Fleuranges later conceded that they would have that effect.
Cronin said he hoped officers would exercise "common sense" in enforcing the ban on moving between cars.
He said suspected offenders would have to submit to an "interview process by the officer" to determine why they were hopping cars, but that in some cases such as avoiding an odor or when air conditioning is broken passengers could be deemed justified.
Neysa Pranger, campaign coordinator for the Straphangers Campaign, said those exceptions should be made explicit in the new regulations.
"There should be a clear standard," she said. "It should be easy for passengers to understand and easy for law enforcement to interpret."
There were also a few moments of de-regulatory zeal yesterday.
In one move, the NYCT committee, after "extensive public comments," recommended that the MTA scrap a proposal that would have banned photography and videotaping on the subways.
In another, the committee proposed rolling back a rule against riders' putting packages on empty seats. That would become officially acceptable provided they didn't interfere with other riders.
Asked why the MTA was in favor of relaxing that particular rule, Fleuranges pointed to a case last year of a woman who, despite being the only person in the car, was cited after placing a package beside her.