MBTA loudspeaker announcements have returned?

[squirrelitude]

I didn't realize they were missing until earlier this week...

"Hello, this is Deputy Chief Paul MacMillan..."

I can't remember when they stopped, but maybe that's why I'd been so calm on the subway this winter. Now they're back. Anyone know what's up with that?

Comments

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

Maybe Paul saw something for the first time in a couple months?

[ron_newman]

Is this about telling people not to throw trash on the tracks, which causes fires?

[squirrelitude]

The one I heard earlier this week (and today as well) was about telling people not to smoke. At least it's not that "see something, say something" crap, but to my mind that can't be far behind.

[talonvaki.livejournal.com]

That makes sense. After all, if you see something, say something...

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

The messages just say that smoking affects the health of other passengers and is against the law. They don't mention the real reason they started them: because they don't want any more T stations catching fire.

[dial-zero.livejournal.com]

I've never seen anyone smoking on the T. Is this even a problem? The ads are annoying. It would be more useful to have one asking people to stand to the right and walk on the left of escalators. Can't tell you how many trains I've missed because of this...

[squirrelitude]

I've seen someone smoking on the platform. I yelled at him and tried to get the attention of some T employees. They turned out to just be track maintainers (not their job!), but I guess it spooked him enough to put out the cig. I couldn't get a decent picture to send in -- ah well.

Edit: But yeah, those announcements are just about useless. I'd love the escalator idea!

[mindstalk.livejournal.com]

"Your eyes, your ears" always makes me thing of _V for Vendetta_ for some reason.

[mindstalk.livejournal.com]

Is there some place we can give feedback on the issue?

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

I see it occasionally, primarily on outdoor platforms, but even there I don't see it very often. I agree that lack of escalator etiquette is a more frequent problem and if there are going to be annoying PSAs I wouldn't mind if one of them addressed that issue.

[borgin.livejournal.com]

When I took the orange line daily I saw people smoking on the platform at Community College on a fairly regular basis.

[nonnihil.livejournal.com]

To be fair, T stations catching on fire probably also affects the health of passengers and is against the law.

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

I wonder which is worse for bystanders: cigarette smoke, or burning T station?

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

There's a See Something Say Something app for iPhones, and I think if you Hear Something, you could report that, too. ;)

[tenshikurai9.livejournal.com]

I see subway trains. Should I say something?

[tenshikurai9.livejournal.com]

If I'm hanging-out with my ex and we're on the escalator, we might be on opposite sides and our steps will be directly together. I try to move so we're both on one side, but he'll ruin that by moving to the opposite side. He thinks that if someone needs to go by, they'll ask to go by and I like preventive positioning. Glad that most of the time, he'll dart down the stairs and I'll meet him at the end of the escalator.

[dial-zero.livejournal.com]

"He thinks that if someone needs to go by, they'll ask to go by."

I'm probably just a wimp but if it's a dude standing in the "fast lane" I prefer not to ask him to let me by, mostly because I try to avoid confrontation with random men. And I figure that someone who's so inconsiderate (sorry) as to stand in the fast lane is just doing it to be a jerk and will not appreciate being asked to move.

[squirrelitude]

Oops, replied to wrong comment. Moving this...

[squirrelitude]

Where this breaks down is when someone non-confrontational stands behind him, and then the next person who comes up has to ask *two* people to move. The more people pile up, the less likely it is that there is even room to stand aside.