MTA Negligent

Two days ago I reported on the smoke-filled subway car and the frantic people trying to escape the smoke and get into the car I was riding in. But they couldn't, because the doors were locked.

This has been bothering me ever since. This morning I called customer service at New York City's MTA. I spoke to a Miss Edwards. I related the story to her, and told her that I was concerned that the doors were locked, preventing the riders escaping the smoke to enter my car.

Right away Miss Edwards lit into me, saying that people shouldn't be going from one car to another, that they could fall down and get electrocuted.

"But they were trying to escape a smoke-filled car," I said, "they were trying to get the hell out of a smoke-filled car and the doors were locked!" Then she reprimanded me for pulling the emergency brake. "Didn't you see a button to call the conductor?" she asked. I told her that people were starting to get back on the train and momentarily the doors would close, and the riders would be trapped on the car, so I pulled the emergency brake to keep the train from going on. She said she didn't understand why the people were getting into a car that was filled with smoke. I told her I didn't know why they did that, but I didn't want the door to close on those people. (Actually, a lot of the smoke left the car when the doors opened, but it was still coming out of the ceiling of the car.)

By this time, she cooled off a bit and started asking me for more details. I know the MTA is trying to discourage people from going from one car to another while the train is moving, but locking the doors is going too far.