Legislation Passes to Raise Fines for Jumping the Turnstile

Photo via www.ktu.com

When I was a kid my mom made me duck under the turnstiles when we went into the city from Brooklyn. I felt guilty, like I should have been paying for my ride.

These days, I think the MTA owes me. I should be able to duck under turnstiles and hitch a free ride now and then. And yet soon, ducking or jumping the turnstile could cost us a lot more. The current maximum fine for skipping a fare is $100. Legislation passed by New York State senate yesterday would increase the maximum fine to $500, and that's before potential late fees are incurred (which could be raised from $50 to $100).

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The Q Train Is Going To Suck For a While

http://nandoism.com/

Starting January 1st, the Q train will be replaced by shuttle buses from Atlantic Ave to Prospect Park EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND until March. As if that weren't a big enough P-in-the-B, the Q won't even be running between Prospect Park and the 57th street/7th stop in Manhattan on weekends. In either direction. 

Wow, Q train. I...don't know what to say. I expect this kind of shit from the F/G, but from the Q? Mr. Perfect? Mr. "I'm always on time baby" is going to stop shaving his face and start wearing sweats around while not looking for a job? 

My mother warned me about trains like you, Q.

[Via Sheepshead Bites]

First World Problems: Flatbush Entrance to B/Q At 7th Ave Closed Off

So THIS has been an annoying thing going on for a while. The Flatbush Ave entrance to the 7th Ave B/Q station has been blocked off, forcing commuters to sigh and cross ALLLLLL the way over to the Park Place entrance. When one of our FiPS readers asked an MTA employee what the fuck was going on, and how long might it last, the man simple responded, "They're making some improvals."

Well THAT clears it up. 

A FiPS Guide For Avoiding Death or Dismemberment on the Subway

Photo via i35south.net/

One of the reasons I'm so damned fat is that I need to take in a lot of calories in order to ensure that I won't have a low blood sugar moment while riding the subway. If I don't eat a shit ton of food all the time, there's a risk that I could become exceedingly cranky on the F train and start an altercation with a knife-wielding lunatic.  Or, even worse, I might become dizzy and disoriented and could fall onto the tracks, just as the train is approaching.

Both scenarios are completely terrifying. Fortunately, Reddit posted an interview with a subway conductor, and they asked EXACTLY the right questions that enable to me to restrict my caloric intake, safely. 

Q: What's the best way to a) get help if someone is sick or being attacked and b) when DO you pull the emergency brake? 

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MTA Makes Your Weekends Less of A Headache With New Weekender Map

Image via MTA

The secret of the NYC subway used to be weekend construction. Because no one rode the subway on Saturdays and Sundays, the illusion that it ran unobstructed 24/7 was maintained for decades. Conveniently, it also meant the MTA didn’t have to bother telling people what the hell they were doing and how it would change the way the subways ran.

But the MTA didn’t account for the unprecedented rise in hipsters, yuppies and other affluent youth movements that poured into Brooklyn and other boroughs this past decade. This resulted in a whole breed of people who actually commute to and from the city on weekends -- sometimes even between Brooklyn and Queens(!). And they demand to know how the MTA’s “planned service changes” are going to affect the trip to Barcade that they and their Manhattan friends will be making on Saturday.

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