Instructional Comic: Riding the PATH
A lot of people bash on the PATH, but I gotta be honest, I really love it. It’s fast and convenient and fairly reliable – it runs all night and there are never mystery off-hours like the NY subway has. It’s pretty straightforward (although my friends from NY wouldn’t agree), because there’s only two lines and only one map to follow. And the PATH tweets are incredibly responsive and very helpful for alerting commuters and responding to problems.
It does have its share of problems, but what trains don’t? One of its biggest problems is crowdedness on trains – unlike the NY subway (in which commuters are going in every which direction), everyone on the PATH is going one place: New York (if you’re a lucky commuter who lives in New York and works in New Jersey, then you pretty much get the train to yourself!). Thats one of the factors that makes the PATH trains so crushingly crowded in the morning.
Another reason is the riders themselves. PATH trains must be set up in a less convenient way or something, but a lot of people bunch up in the trains and don’t move past the first pole. MOVE IN people! So many time’s I’ve been squashed into the corner and I view the lovely haven that is further-in-the-PATH-car, where people are lounging about freely, having enough space to do their entire yoga routine if they wished. I think moving in would solve a lot of the rush hour squish. And I’ve seen plenty of men who spread themselves seemingly as far as they possibly can – perhaps to annoy everyone else or maybe they just don’t notice. It’s the opposite with the girls but equally annoying – many girls, especially short ones, think they are at liberty to hug the poles and put their entire body around it. This is an anonyance on so many levels – there are few good poles in the PATH cars and if one is fully taken up from top to bottom, it’s an inconvenience for at least a few people.
Like my walking guide… I think the root of the problem lies within people not understanding that there’s other people in the world too. They at least deserve a little standing space.
January 14th, 2010 at 11:45 am
A lot of people do that bunching up around the doors thing on MBTA trains, too. I though it was just a universal train thing.
January 14th, 2010 at 3:16 pm
I agree that folks need to move in but there must be a difference in the way the PATH is laid out vs the subway (although the new cars seem to solve some of this problem). I notice that shorter people (mostly women) have a much more difficult time riding PATH especially on the 33rd street line between Christopher & Hoboken/JSQ when the train speeds up & takes turns pretty quickly. I observe many guys moving into make room (although many don’t) but short women really get the brunt of this crazy 10 minute balancing act. It seems like the cars are designed for people 5’7″ and up. Many women are not this tall.
January 14th, 2010 at 3:20 pm
I agree – the old PATH cars get a little crazy between Pavonia and Christopher, and those dangly, moveable handlebars don’t do much to help. I have trouble staying on myself (I’m a girl, but i’m over 5’7″), and I often wonder how older people or handicapped people manage to hang on. Then again, I saw an older lader CROCHETING (aka not using the handlebars at all) the entire time from 23rd to Grove St. Props to her (she bumped into me a lot, but I didn’t mind cause I thought it was amusing how she could not put her knitting needles down for a beat)
January 14th, 2010 at 8:57 pm
I thought your PATH story was funny.But you forgot to mention the people especially the men with the bag on their shoulders bumping into the people behind them and not putting the bag down annoying….
January 14th, 2010 at 11:33 pm
RANT ALERT!: Don’t put ANYTHING on the seat next to you unless your area is pretty clear. This goes for buses as well – which I ride/rode often (mostly Rutgers and NJ Transit). Nobody wants to sit next to you either, but if crowds don’t make it possible for everyone to have their own space, don’t be an asshole with your purse/shopping bag/briefcase…also, on a side note, you shouldn’t have a briefcase. It’s PUBLIC transportation and the option to sit next to you should exist. Once the bus gets moving and people have stopped looking for seats, then you can do whatever you want with that spot.
January 15th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
What’s a “blop”?
Great comic, btw.
January 20th, 2010 at 5:35 am
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