The MTA, in their infonant wisdom, decided a number of weeks ago to start reconstructing the subway tracks on the 4 line near my home. Fine and dandy since I figured this would be only a temporary inconvenience. But this weekend will be the third weekend in a row that the line has been shut down.
This has totally angered me since I was out and about last weekend. While walking accross the 4 platform at Borough Hall in Brooklyn to get to the 2/3 line in order to get to Grand Central station, I found about more than half of the construction works sitting on their butts talking to each other while only two or three guys were actually working on the tracks. Now I wouldn't mind if it was only two or three guys taking a break. But give me a break! 10-15! That seems a little ludicrus? Why weren't these guys working on another section further down the track in order to speed up the construction process?
Could it be government incompetance? probably.
Meanwhile, fares are going up and the MTA continues to look for every nickel, dime and penny they get their hands on. How about either getting these guys to work, instead of sitting on their butts, so the subway system's disruptions can be minimized and more fares being brought in instead of forcing them to take taxis or drive because the subway system has become too inconvenient on the weekends. The weekends are a time when you should want people to ride the subway. This means more income during non-peak periods that the MTA can utilize to the fullest. More ridership in non-peak periods means the infrastructure (read: subway cars) are being used to their fullest potential from their initial investment. Something all New York City taxpayers would want.
We'll see tonight again if these same construction workers are enjoying some time off on the taxpayer's dime.
Could be worse could be OCTranspo they don't take breaks they just don't show up and some show up but leave when you least expect it. (see my Blog www.billarends.blogspot.com and read Anatommy of a mental breakdown)
ReplyDeletePerhaps those lazy guys you saw sitting around, all 15 of them were on a coffee break, as their union regulations allow for; or perhaps they were on lunch break; or perhaps the two guys who were actually working were the engineers who kicked all the guys off the tracks to do testing to ensure everything was the way it was supposed to be.
ReplyDeleteMr. Assumption Maker, you were just miffed because there was an invonvenience to yourself... you gotta let those things go, there's not enough time in life to care about such inconsequential things.
Another incident today (Friday Feb. 25th that makes a guy go home.
ReplyDeleteI swear the show shovels the guys were using to clear a subway station on the D line were no more than a foot a cross. This takes more time to clean off a platform than needed. Kinda weird.
Speaking of coffee breaks and lunch breaks. Why do 15 guys need to take a coffee break or lunch at the same time? Have half the guys do it at once then the other half. Makes more sense to me especially when working in the confined space of a subway tunnel.