By Philip Newman
While basic announcements such as “the next stop is Grand Central” improved, the Straphangers Campaign said announcements of delays and disruptions were “inaudible, garbled or incorrect” 65 percent of the time.The transit advocacy agency said basic announcements were satisfactory 77 percent of the time in 2005, compared with 73 percent in 2004.The Straphangers reported that the No. 4 and No. 6 of the Lexington line, which are equipped with automated voice systems, came in at 98 percent.The W line was rated last in the subway system at 58 percent for 2005, even worse than last year when it was 69 percent.The most improved line was the J/Z, which rose from a system low of 46 percent in 2004 to 82 percent in 2005. The M line came in at 60 percent – up from 56 percent in 2004 – and the Q at 62 percent, down from the previous 68 percent. The N was 64 percent – down from 72 percent; the V at 66 percent, previously 69 percent, and the No. 7 68 percent, slightly better than the previous 67 percent. The F was 68 percent compared with the previous 70 percent; the E at 77 percent, up from 66 percent; the R at 78 percent, up from the previous 66 percent; and the G at 81 percent, up from 75 percent. “We're happy that basic subway announcements are getting better but disappointed that most riders are being left in the dark to cope with delays and reroutings,” said Neysa Pranger, campaign coordinator for the Straphangers. “Poor announcements can mean missed stops, longer trips and a lot more stress,” said Charity Carbine, field organizer for the survey. The Straphangers conducted the survey using 75 volunteers between Jan. 2 and May 9, 2005. The volunteers made 6,000 observations on 22 subway lines of opportunities to make car announcements. The Straphangers Campaign is a project of the New York Public Interest Research Group.Reach contributing writer Philip Newman by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300 ext. 136.
