The esteemed Fail Road President, Helena Williams had a letter published in Newsday today. Her letter was in response to an essay a reader submitted which called for the Fail Road to have “quiet cars” on each train where cellphone use is prohibited.
Here it is:
“Counting on riders to be considerate recent essay raised the possibility of “quiet cars” on Long Island Rail Road trains [“A little peace and quiet, please!” Opinion, Oct. 19]. After studying the “quiet car” concept, the LIRR came to the same conclusion as other busy commuter railroads in our region: It would be difficult, if not impossible, to enforce. Some of our peak rush- hour trains exceed our own standee limits. Commuters on rush-hour trains know that finding a seat can be a challenge. Asking customers to find the “right” car for cell phone use at a crowded station places an undue burden on them. Enforcement of quiet-car rules would lead to delays while trains are held at stations to permit police to resolve disputes.The LIRR will launch a renewed Customer Courtesy Campaign with courtesy announcements at stations, terminals and on board trains, and courtesy reminders published in our monthly customer newsletter. The LIRR will ask all customers to be considerate of their fellow travelers via the new Penn Station message boards by asking customers to limit cell-phone use to essential calls, keep conversations brief, speak in a low voice, set ringers on vibrate and move to the vestibule for long conversations; also to keep feet off seats and to store luggage and bags on overhead racks, not on seats.I believe in, and am counting on, the common sense and the common courtesy of our customers.
Helena E. Williams
Editor’s note: The writer is president of the Long Island Rail Road.
Jamaica
Bla bla bla. The riders don’t have common sense. If they did, you wouldn’t need the “Clean Train Campaign” announcements. You also wouldn’t need those other announcements about cellphone use and keeping feet off the seats. I thought the Fail Road was supposed to have the most “intelligent”, affluent and “high class” riders of a commuter rail road in the country. Apparently this is not the case. They’re just a bunch of gavones.
I agree that a “quiet car” is probably not the best solution to this issue. It’s just not possible. What if people want to get to the “quiet car”…and it’s all the way down the platform? People won’t get in then walk down. They’ll run down the platform, causing delays, etc.
The only solution is to ban cellphone use outright or allow the conductors become “enforcers” and tell people to keep quiet if their behavior gets out of hand with their cell phones.
What’s the big deal with people and their phones? JUST SHUT UP!
LIFE ON THE FAIL ROAD 