AMNY Subway Tracker

Columbia student, subway enthusiast and photographer Jarid Maged e-mailed reporters Monday with a tale of getting stopped by a cop for taking pictures in the subway. Nothing too bad happened, he was questioned and told to leave.

Today, Gothamist did a little write-up of the incident shedding light on all the Web buzz Jarid created. His fellow subway foamers backed him while the cops tell him to stop whining.

Clearly it’s an issue that won’t go away. Even amNY’s photog has been told he can’t shoot in the subway.

Jarid’s photo’s are here.

And for the record, again, photography is legal in the subway.

Section 1050.9 Photography, filming or video recording in any facility or conveyance is permitted except that ancillary equipment such as lights, reflectors or tripods may not be used. Members of the press holding valid identification issued by the New York City Police Department are hereby authorized to use necessary ancillary equipment. All photographic activity must be conducted in accordance with the provision of these Rules.

But, who can fault a cop for asking what the kid is doing? Let’s not forget the Iranians.

Photo by ShellyS via Flickr

-- Chuck Bennett amNY.com

A Gothamist reader claims to have been ticketed on the subway at 4 a.m. for just putting her feet on an empty seat. Now it is a violation but my understanding is they were meant to be enforced on busy trains when seats were scarce. Sounds like she's got a good case for the Transit Adjudication Board.

-- Chuck Bennett

The assistant managing editor for photography of  The New York Times made a curious comment in a Q&A published online recently that has set off a kerfuffle among some photographers.

In response to a query posed by a student photographer on handling overzealous security guards, she advised that it's best to shoot from public places, and then added: "You are prohibited from shooting bridges and tunnels, less so the subway."

Now, in offering these tips, she was probably erring on the side of caution, since it's much easier to get out of a scrape with an officious security guard who misunderstands your motives if you carry a Times press card. And indeed, reports still emerge from time to time of photographers being hassled when legally taking pictures on the subway. But her advice has raised eyebrows.

Firstly, regarding the legality of subway photography, no less an authority than The New York Times itself wrote on May 23, 2005:  "A proposed ban on taking photographs in the subway, meant to thwart potential terrorists, has been rejected as too broad to be enforceable, the police said yesterday."

Now, it's true that around the city's tunnels, there are a barrage of signs prohibiting photography.  And a little Nexis research supports the idea that laws do prohibit photography of MTA bridges, too, but who is really going to stop that student photographer (or those countless tourists) from snapping away? (Well, this did happen shortly after 9/11 and may remain an issue today.)

To be sure, it seems the key questions are vantage point of the photo, and whether "sensitive" areas were being photographed. Still, the editor's comments, however well intentioned, seem to cry for amplification.

Here's reaction over at the Chezlark blog, who says the advice was "entirely incorrect or badly misleading".  And there's more commentary at The Online Photographer.

-- Rolando Pujol

Have you been hassled taking pictures in the subways or around bridges? Let us know in the comments section.  And the Chezlark blog pointed us to this interesting subway photography blog, Express Train.

Photo: Woman boards A train, by Newsday's Julia Gaines

Yesterday morning at the Lexington Ave/53rd St station on the E line, a wheelchair user bravely took the escalator down to the platform. He popped a wheelie and held on two both sides of railing while riding down. His companion held on to the back of his chair but the man was clearly comfortable and in control.

Fellow commuters started yelling from above to step aside so they could walk down the elevators (typical commom courtesy is the left side is for walking and right side for standing) but were quickly embarrassed when they saw the situation.

As the man from Kingsbridge, the Bronx explained to me the station’s elevator is unbearably stinky and riding the escalator is the only way to go.

No word yet from the Transit Authority if this violates any rules. The only mention of escalators in the TA rule book (Section 1050.6), says:

“In no event will an activity be permitted in a location which interferes with the access onto or off of an escalator, stairway or elevator, or otherwise interferes with or impedes transit services or the movement of passengers.”

Michael Harris of the Disabled Riders Coalition called the practice "unsafe."

“It is more common than you'd think. I don't condone it but I understand it. Subway elevators really do have a tremendous stench. It's an ongoing problem," he said.

-- Chuck Bennett

The Daily News catches up with Crystal Rosario, who as a pregnant 18-year-old  became a cause celebre in May 2003 when she was fined $50 for sitting on subway station stairs in Brooklyn.  Rosario, whose daughter is now 3,  says she is still recognized as the "pregnant lady."  She's now focused on raising her daughter, is engaged and hopes to become a teacher one day. One thing she won't do is sit on station stairs or anywhere else other than a clean subway bench. "I don't even jaywalk anymore," she explains.

-- Rolando Pujol

OT, Oy Vey: The transit strike cost the NYPD $10.4 million in overtime, lower than first thought. A City Council oversight hearing today is set to address walkout costs with Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.  [amNewYork]

Milestone for victim: The bike-riding firefighter, left, who was struck by a private bus during the December transit walkout was finally released from the hospital today. [AP via amNewYork]

On-time almost every time: Metro-North trains set an on-time performance record in April — 99% of the commuter trains showed up when they were supposed to. [amNewYork]

Subway plot conviction: A Pakistani immigrant was convicted of planning to blow up the Herald Square subway station.  [AP via amNewYork] 

Train to the plane: A takeout on the politics behind the quest for a downtown-JFK rail link. [The New York Observer]

-- Rolando Pujol

Photo of Firefighter Matthew Long by  Howard Schnapp

Ticket quotas are in the news again, this time for summonses in the subways.

When I reported on the decline in summonses earlier this year Deputy Inspector Michael Coan assured that: “There are no quotas in the NYPD.”

But police sources told the Daily News that the transit cops covering the Yankee Stadium station  must write 12 tickets a month or lose overtime. Cops even hide into closets to catch turnstile jumpers in the act.

Whether the quotas are the NYPD’s dirty secret or just the police union posturing is hard to tell, but for straphangers who are ticketed remember about one-third of them all get dismissed.

The News also got its hand on an internal Transit Authority report on the death of worker Lewis Moore, 35, last December. Moore , whose death became rallying cry for the transit union, was blamed for his own death. He was walking in an open air moving car when the height of the ceiling dropped crushing him.

I’m sure we’ll be hearing more the union on this.

-- Chuck Bennett

When will the police learn there is NO photo ban on the subways?

After much public outcry and serious questions about the legality, the MTA dropped the PROPOSED photo ban from its agenda. Its perfectly legal for members of the media and the general public to snap away on the trains and in the stations.

But yesterday, two uninformed cops threatened to kick our amNY photographer and myself, out of the subway for taking pictures. The officer wrongly insisted that it was illegal and right or wrong its impossible to win an argument with a cop. Or is this an unwritten rule that cops follow? Any else have a similar experience?

-- Chuck Bennett

Here are some primary docs from my story on subway summonses today.

The list of top  ten violations: Download top_ten_violations.doc

and the list of violations with corresponding fines: Download penalty_schedule.pdf

-- Chuck Bennett