'Transit' Puts L Line on Trial;

Seeks Rider Ratings
'Transit' Puts L Line on Trial

By ARI PAUL

Sports journalist Carolyn Braff had only commuted on the L line from the Third Ave. station in Manhattan to the west side for one week, but already thought it was a vast improvement compared to her old route on the 7th Ave. IRT.

The Chief-Leader/Pat Arnow GRADING THE TRAIN: Station Superintendent Paula Hilliard passed out Rider Report Cards to commuters coming off the L train at Union Square station in Manhattan during the morning rush hour Aug. 15. New York City Transit supervisors handed out the surveys at L line stations in Brooklyn Aug. 16 and 17. "The signs are excellent," she said while waiting on the platform Aug. 15, referring to the electronic signs indicating when the next train would arrive.

Report Card for Workers

Ms. Braff planned to give the L line a good grade on the Rider Report Card that New York City Transit officials handed out at stations along the line during morning rush hours Aug. 15, 16 and 17. Riders have until Aug. 28 to mail back completed copies. They can also provide answers on-line in 13 different languages, including Yiddish, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Hebrew and Polish.

The survey has 21 questions, and they focus on wait times for trains, car and station cleanliness, the courtesy of station workers, security and the audibility of Train Operators' announcements. A poor response from riders on these report cards could affect Car Equipment Maintainers, Train Operators, Conductors, Station Agents and Cleaners.

NYC Transit recently conducted a similar survey of 7-line commuters. But the L line happens to be the first one the agency plans to automate by 2010, with a computerized system stopping and starting the train. The Train Operator's primary task would be to assist passengers in the event of an emergency, and the worker would have to push a button every 30 seconds in order to inform the system that he or she is not incapacitated. If the Train Operator fails to press the button every 30 seconds, the emergency brakes take effect. This would replace the "dead-man feature," which activates the emergency brakes if a certain amount of weight is taken off the train's operating stick.

Workers' Concerns

Some members of Transport Workers Union Local 100 have been critical of the proposed change. Local 100 Train Operator Division Chairman Steve Downs noted that a train could move for up to 30 seconds after a Train Operator became incapacitated. He thought that was too long and could endanger Track Workers, Train Operators and passengers.

NYC Transit supervisors handed out the surveys at L-line stations last week, wearing large buttons and orange vests. One supervisor working at the Third Ave. station Aug. 15 said that about 90 percent of riders going through the turnstiles took the surveys.

The 10.3-mile-long L line is one of the few lines that does not offer express service at any time. Carrying on average 235,000 commuters per weekday, the L line brings workday commuters from Brooklyn into dense business areas in Manhattan such as the district around Union Square. On weekends, the L line is a popular route for nightlife enthusiasts bound for Manhattan's East Village or the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.

Survey Skeptic

Council Member Lewis Fidler, who represents the Canarsie section of Brooklyn, where the L line begins, has been critical of plans for automated train operation. He was skeptical about the effectiveness of NYC Transit's program of surveying riders.

"He who constructs the question can frequently predict the answer," Mr. Fidler said in a phone interview. "If riders in the L train were told the cost of the project, [and] had the issue of one-person train operation which was originally an objective of the project, and the safety issues [been] brought up in questions, you would get a far different response."