The Good: Opens the doors promptly at the station, and doesn’t shilly-shally when closing. If someone on the platform hesitates, their decision is made for them. The doors are closed, and the train is on its way. That’s the way it should be. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. (Yes wiseacres, I know who Jeremy Bentham is, but of course I'm thinking of Spock.)
The Bad: Conductors who have no cojoñes. You’ve been on this train... you watch the doors open and close a half-dozen times at nearly every stop. Chances are, you're already pissed off, because this has been happening at nearly every stop before the train got to you, and each episode probably adds at least 30 seconds to the dwell time.
That may not seem like much, but it adds up. The E train has 14 stops between World Trade Center and Roosevelt Avenue. Let’s say this happens at 8 of those stops. That’s an extra 4 minutes on a trip that is scheduled to be 31 minutes long. The trip is now 16% longer. These things have a tendency to snow-ball too. As the train runs later, the platform gets more full, people cram into the train, making it harder to close the doors promptly.
There’s nothing wrong with being considerate – but if you think you’re doing a good deed by waiting until you’re absolutely sure that every single person on the platform who might want to get on your train, gets on, forget it.
I help tourists all the time on the subway. Half of them don’t even know where they want to go – let alone how to get there. Like horses, New York subway riders can sense weakness. If you dither, they will dither.
The Ugly: Conductors who try closing the doors even as people are still exiting the train, let alone anyone boarding. It’s nothing but misanthropy. Fortunately, you don’t see it that much.
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