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| Re: N to 96/2 (1425919) | |||
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Re: N to 96/2 |
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Posted by Michael549 on Sun Jan 29 18:14:18 2017, in response to Re: N to 96/2, posted by R30A on Sun Jan 29 15:57:17 2017. "How does anybody not understand that the DESTINATION is a far more important aspect of the route than the origin when it comes to how to sign trains?"That actually depends. It is not as clear cut as you make it seem. For a Manhattan rider headed to Kings Highway, there are a number of routes that have Coney Island as the terminal station destination. For plenty of subway riders additional information such as the ROUTE taken to reach "Kings Highway" becomes VERY, VERY IMPORTANT. Lacking information about the cross streets or the path taken would be a big problem in giving directions. Try telling someone to "Just take any train to Kings Highway." This is a problem when there is shortened information on the signage - cross streets/avenues are very important pieces of information. This is not particular to the current N/Q debate. Some time ago, a friend of mine, Eric was told to take the D-train to 20th Avenue in Brooklyn to meet some friends, but somehow he ends up taking the N-train to 20th Avenue because that station was listed on the signage. The weird part is the Eric has lived his whole life in Brooklyn and did not realize that there would be an important difference. For plenty of riders it is the route - the path that the train takes to get to a certain place that is what matters. Many riders neither travel to or from one terminal station of a subway route to the other last stop/terminal station. Often the terminal stations are very, very far distances - 179th Street/Queens to Coney Island/Brooklyn, etc. The 42nd Street Shuttle, and the Franklin Street Shuttle are clear exceptions! Plenty, plenty of riders simply travel between various points on a subway route and often transfer among various subway routes. These riders generally want to know the ROUTE/PATH that is being taken. (Is this train going down Lexington Avenue or the west-side?) Plenty of A-train riders in Brooklyn and Queens may "know" that A-trains goes to 207th Street in Washington Heights - but very few actually travel there. Most Brooklyn and Queens riders of the A-train really just care that this is the train that will be take them along the west-side of Manhattan and to places where they can transfer to other subway lines, or close enough to their destination. Some folks may take the E-train from Archer Avenue in Queens to a destination like the World Trade Center. Plenty of E-train riders board the trains at intermediate stops for other intermediate stops. Plenty of folks board the E-train at Penn Station headed for the World Trade Center, and they would not usually not care where the E-train travels in Queens. The trip between the World Trade Center and 34th Street-Penn Station would be what's important to them. Do riders headed for Yankee Stadium really, really care that the #4 is headed toward Woodlawn or Bedford Park Blvd, or that the B or D trains are headed toward Bedford Park Blvd or 205th Street? I think not. So long as it is traveling in their general specific direction and the announcements are clear and frequent. There are other examples that can be chosen. Does the destination matter? Yes, it does but the route/the pathway also matters! The pathway matters because it signals the general direction that particular subway line is taking to get someplace. Years ago, the elevated trains had labels such as "Ninth Avenue, "Sixth Avenue", "Myrtle Avenue", "Fifth Avenue", "Lexington Avenue" - which gives one a sense of just where that train is traveling - even if the terminal stations were not the actual destinations of plenty of the riders. Should subway train signage INCLUDE THE DESTINATIONS AND THE PATHS OF THE TRAINS - YES!! Mike |
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