you-are.us

The rules go into effect today on New York City’s subways and buses. The rules look innocuous and some, like Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign in a comment to New York Newsday, have noted that they are an obvious matter of common courtesy. What is obvious, of course, is that in NYC no rule is so obvious that it need not be stated. Some others complain that the rules take away some of the flavor of the city, some of its disorderly character. But, honestly, every day is a constant struggle for decency and civility, and there is no need to romanticize a lack of decency on subways and buses. These rules will help precisely because they state the obvious and they might give us all a little leverage when trying to find some breathing space and a little sanity during our daily commute.

In the event that you are travelling on this fair city’s subways and buses, and are a bit vague on what comes under the heading of common sense in mass transit, here are some of the new rules:

• Do not jump turnstiles, even with a valid MetroCard.
• Do not straddle a bicycle or wear in-line skates or roller skates.
• Do not stand on skateboards or small scooters while on the trains or buses.
• Do not move between subway cars, even if the train is stopped.
• Do not occupy more than one seat on subways or buses by putting up your feet or spreading your legs.
• Do not place bags on an empty seat.
• Do not block free movement.
• Do not lie down.
• Do not engage in unauthorized commercial activity.
• Do not carry open bulky items likely to cause inconvenience.

These offenses are liable to fines ranging from $25 to $100. The full list of rules on conduct, above and below ground, with the New York City Transit Authority is found on the MTA Web site.

David Boles remarks on Urban Semiotic that it is “amazing” that people need to be threatened with fines in order to curb what everyone agrees is bad behavior. Well it is true. But what this new set of rules really does, other than state what common courtesy dictates, is provide the NYPD with an opening for detaining and running profile checks on the homeless, the panhandlers, the dangerous-looking, and all those who are part of the various black and grey-market economies that operate primarily in the subway system. It is just an extension of the broken windows theory that Police Commissioner William Bratton and Mayor Rudy Giuliani put into action in NYC in the 1990s. It is a set of rules that allows the NYPD to do things without running the risk of being called out for “profiling.” The main issue here is really a civil liberties question of how much police questioning and detention is going to be carried out under the cover of these new rules.

In the end, I think folks like Pensive Musing will be able to drink their coffee on the subway unmolested by the NYPD. (Remember Guiliani also tried to enforce a “no coffee” rule back in the 1990s? That did not work.) The target of the rules is not coffee drinkers, per se. But if you look like you are shiftless and idle, I would recommend thinking twice before taking that McDonald’s coffee below ground. And if you have a warrant out for your arrest, you had absolutely better be on your best behavior. Coffee drinkers with rap sheets might insulate themselves from police scrutiny by splurging for a $4 Starbucks concoction. Coffee drinkers who are part of Al Qaeda had better take cabs.