Earlier this week when visiting my friend on the Upper East Side, I snapped this rather anxiety-inducing photograph on my descent down to the train platform. Packed into what felt like a minuscule cylinder of space was an overwhelming amount of commuters and travelers fighting to fit themselves onto the only narrow escalator the station had to offer. This rather tight squeeze of an inconvenience begged the question of accommodation, and if New York wishes to provide efficient service to its population of commuters into the future, how do they plan on reconstructing stations with limited commuter capacity such as these. The process of waiting to board the escalator, a trip that then lasted a solid 45 seconds, is long enough for any commuter in a rush to endure when trying to reach the platform itself, nonetheless waiting for a train. In the event of an emergency, especially considering the nature of large metropolises like New York, it seems confined spaces such as this, it being the only means of transportation down into the subway platform, would present a serious hazard to large sums of people trying to escape danger. I hope that in the future, especially when taking population growth into consideration, the city finds a way to reimagine outdated and dangerous public transportation elements such as these.
I HATE WHEN THIS HAPPENS!! I work around Grand Central and sometimes the station gets really packed. It ends up with too many people on the escalator and not enough room for everyone to get off. I’m so scared of one day getting stuck on the escalator as it continues moving because theres not enough room to get off. One of stops I get off on, gets especially packed because the stairs are so far away from the escalator and every has no choice but to use the escalator. This is such a safety hazard!