Subways and Buses in New York

Did you know that people in New York City have no arms? They don't even have any shoulders. Everyone in New York City is very small and they are all the same size. None of the women in New York have hips or thighs either! The seats on the New York City buses and trains were built based on these inaccurate facts.

I have come to this conclusion after many uncomfortable experiences on the public transportation system in New York. A person is not allowed to take up more than one seat yet the average person takes up a seat and a half. If you are a little bigger than you will easily fill two seats. Seats that have indented impressions to separate one seat from another will wind up sticking into you uncomfortably on one side of your rear.

If you decide to conform to the seating set up, your arms and shoulders will either be in the way or will be overlapped and laid on or stuck under the persons on either side of you. You will feel like the living arm of a chair or like a bride or groom with arm locked into a stranger to come down the aisle. Don't move! Motion will annoy the person resting on you.

If you show any amount of discomfort or if you ask the person next to you not to lay on you, not only the person laying on you but everyone in your vicinity will look at you with disdain and tell you that if you don't like public transportation, then take a cab or get a limousine to take you. Things will turn very hostile very quickly. People in New York pack in just like sardines in a can even when it is not crowded and it is not even a rush hour.

Years ago, the older trains and buses had seating that allowed space for whatever size each person had. The costs began at 5 cents per ride then later 10, 15, 35 and 50 cents over time. The next price rate jumped to $1.00 and now costs $2.00 per ride. The trains had long flat benches that could be filled as needed in the past. Nowadays, indented seating or poorly positioned poles define spaces that defy the ability to be properly seated.

There are some countries like Japan where limited space and crowding are normal. I do not believe however that seating for the public this city requires the confinement set and standard for its public transportation. The city is large and there are crowds but people still have arms and legs and thighs. Everyone is not the same size and at the rate of pay required for travel, the people of New York deserve better seating on public transportation.

Vehicles such as trains and buses are purchased it seems from other countries. When the next remodeling phase is reached it is my sincere hope that real people be taken into consideration. Space is needed for their arms and shoulders. Simple consideration would make New York and any other city that suffers the same inconsiderate spacing in public transportation a better place to live and would result in less arguments for those who have to use the trains and buses.