A brawl broke out on a train in March 2012 when an older woman noticed a younger woman across from her
gobbling forkfuls of spaghetti from a styrofoam container.
She was heard saying, “Only animals eat on the train…” which spurred
numerous arguments. It wasn’t clear how long she was sitting there
before the feud, but the older woman’s comments seemed to come from
nowhere – as she arrogantly criticized the younger girl, who eventually
got up from her seat, approached the rider and a full-on catfight
erupted (the most hilarious part to me was that she was holding the open
container of saucy pasta in one hand during practically the entire
fight).
 |
| Some of those foods ARE NOT portable! |
A bill sponsored by Harlem Senator Bill Perkins would impose
a $250 fine for those caught eating on trains. The food ban, according
to reports, would help decrease the number of rat infestations
underground. I haven’t come across an official study that concluded food
from trains directly leads to rat infestation, a major justification
for the eating ban.
Rats live in dirty dark places – food or no food – that’s what undergrounds have been plagued by for centuries.
Yes, I’ve seen plenty of garbage-strewn tracks all over, including
our very own L train line, which has undergone so many station
rehabilitation projects. But how will they enforce this ban on food?
Maybe they would have transit cops do inspections for food before you
enter train stations at the turnstyles?
Where does it end? No gum chewing or snacking? What if you’re a
mother whose baby needs their bottle in the middle of the commute –
she’s going to be fined for feeding her newborn? What if you’re diabetic
or have a medical condition that requires food consumption during a
long one hour commute?
And will this ban include drinking? When it’s sweltering hot in the
stations during the summertime, is consuming a cold bottle of water
going to be a violation? And where will these “guidelines” be posted so
commuters can go over a list of foods that are potential
rodent-attractors?
Some children have their breakfast on the train while on their way to
school. It’s not right to issue a summons to a hungry student who might
have a long commute. Will an on-the-go snack like a banana or granola
bar warrant a violation?
In addition, it would be next to useless for newsstands inside
stations to sell candy or other goodies – and they’d lose a lot of
profit. Food carts positioned, like the one near the L train at Rockaway
Parkway, accommodate commuters in the mornings with a quick bite to eat
and a hot cup of coffee. What good are these vendors’ businesses if
people won’t be able to buy anything they can enjoy during their ride?
If you manage to hide food in one of your pockets or inside your
jacket and you sneak a bite of a sandwich, who’s going to stop you? I
would personally hate to get caught by an enforcement official on a
train and have a half eaten egg sandwich grabbed from my hands so they
could and give me a fine for simply being HUNGRY! Maybe they’ll list
penalties according to which food you’re caught with. Popping a donut in
your mouth before a transit agent can say something, shouldn’t be more
than a $50 fine.
While eating is a healthy thing to do on trains, smoking bans on
platforms (recently enforced on LIRR and Metro-North lines) can be
justified. Other commuters are affected and bothered by secondhand smoke
and there’s also the risk of possible track fires if a cigarette is
discarded on the tracks. Other than the “stench” from someone’s food in a
train car, what’s the worst it can do for fellow riders?
Obviously, some lawmakers just want to put a fine on ANYTHING that can generate revenue needed to help the city get out of debt.
Let’s get real – we’re paying hundreds of dollars each month to ride
the rails on a daily basis, and even then, most commuters still don’t
think they’re getting adequate service. If the MTAis going to have us
sitting in between stops for a good 20 minutes because of “train traffic
up ahead,” or because of “technical difficulties” that happen more than
they should, the least they can do is let us enjoy a muffin while they
get their act together.
Monitoring a law like this would be nearly impossible and guidelines
would be so off the charts, it would be worse than the confusion that
may have taken place when recycling paper and plastic goods was mandated
over a decade go.
Even though a full meal like spaghetti, which requires a fork and
several napkins, should be eaten at a dinner table, officials who would
have to enforce this law should look at the more important issues and
take a bite out of crime in the subways instead.
No comments:
Post a Comment