Running head: TRAVELING UNDER THE SIDEWALKS OF NEW YORK 1

Traveling Under the Sidewalks of New York

Griselda M Lopez
Molloy College









TRAVELING UNDER THE SIDEWALKS OF NEW YORK 2
Traveling Under the Sidewalks of New York
Imagine New York City without a subway system? How would people travel from
Manhattan to Brooklyn if all they wanted to do was to enjoy the thrilling rides that Coney Island
provides its visitors with? Imagine having early dinner in Midtown Manhattan with a group of
friends, but later in the day, having to arrive to New Jersey for a concert without having a
subway train take you there? Furthermore, imagine the lives that would be affected of many
New Yorkers if the subway system never existed? Could you picture the streets of Manhattan
being significantly more crowded than what it already is? Visualize millions of people on a hot
and humid summer day walking and bumping into each other, barely moving and trying to get to
work. People would never arrive to their destination on time. Hundreds of people would never
get anywhere with the excessive crowd. The New York subway system may not be the worlds
most beautiful subway, but it is the most utilized subway system in the world (Cudahy, 1995).
The impact that the subway system has on New York City is important because it provides New
Yorkers and tourists with an inexpensive, efficient, and rapid form of transportation. Because of
the citys nature for high demands, New York City residents find the subway system essential to
their lives. The subway system offers them reliability to an optimal level of functioning and
adaptation towards New York Citys fast pacing lifestyle.
The New York subway system is anything but ordinary. It operates more subway cars
than any other subway system (Cudahy, 1995). Nearly 4 million passengers a day are carried by
the New York subway. The system provides employment for over 20,000 employees and
requires 6,500 fast pacing subway cars to meet the daily schedules (Cudahy, 1995). The system
spends more than $100 million each year just for electricity! An interesting fact about the New
York subway system is that it has a police force, which protects just the subway alone. It is the
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fifth largest police force in the country (Cudahy, 1995). Perhaps the best part besides the quick
and efficient transportation that New York subway system offers is its reliability. New Yorkers
dont have to worry about the weather in order to commute. Whether it rains or snows, the
subway is open twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week (Diehl, 2004). New York
subway system is made up of 722 miles (Diehl, 2004). Therefore, a smooth and relaxing ride to
ones destination is necessary for the satisfaction of passengers. The New York subway system
has gone through a few but much needed transformation to better serve the public for a more
enjoyable ride. One change that was made was by replacing old rattling graffiti-scarred subway
cars with new sleek trains that are quieter. These new trains have air-bag suspension, have
curved seats, and contain programmed messages recorded by professionals to announce the
stations (Diehl, 2004). Another transformation that cannot be forgotten or be taken for granted is
the fact that most subway cars, if not, all deliver warm air in the winter and provide air-
conditioning in the summer (Diehl, 2004). Although these might seem like small changes, they
make a huge difference when it comes to riding the subway.
From the earliest European settlement, Manhattan was the economic Mecca of the New
York region. Since the very beginning, residential options were controlled for the New Yorkers
due to geography (Derrick, 2001). Manhattan is a narrow land. Lower Manhattan is surrounded
by wide bodies of water, which today we know as, the Hudson River and the East River
(Derrick, 2001). Before the Brooklyn Bridge opened in 1883, the only land connections to
Manhattan were bridges that crossed the Harlem River. They were located in the northern end of
the island (Derrick, 2001). The northern land is currently known today as the Bronx. The only
direction that did not interfere with large bodies of water was to the north. Therefore, the main
location for development occurred in this region. As commerce boomed, Manhattans
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population grew. As a result, buildings increased in height. Real estate speculators soon
discovered that they could make enormous amounts of profit by building walk-up tenement
buildings of five-and six-story high to house the poor. Unfortunately, in the long run these
tenement buildings became overly crowded as more immigrants and tourists migrated to
Manhattan in vast numbers (Diehl, 2004). New York City flourished in the business and
industrialization aspects. Hence, becoming the nations largest city and manufacturing center
(Derrick, 2001).
However, not everything was bright and prosperous for New York City. In 1910, New
York had a population of 3,437,000 people, making it the most crowded city in the world
(Derrick, 2001). The over crowdedness of New York City had started to affect business districts
in New York. In addition, congestion of population had started to spread to residential areas of
Brooklyn and the Bronx (Derrick, 2001). The over crowdedness of New York City had caused
terrible conditions to the working lower class by creating unsafe and unsanitary environments in
the tenement buildings. Due to these horrific incidents that both adults and children experienced,
progressive reform effort came about. They focused on finding a way to improve the living
conditions of these people and finding placement of new homes in the outer boroughs (Derrick,
2001). Derrick (2001) asserted that in order to save New York and its citizens, the city had to
build new subway lines that simultaneously ran to the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. According
to Derrick (2001), it was thought that by constructing and expanding rapid transit, it would help
alleviate social problems.
In January of 1911, Manhattan Borough President, George McAneny became an
important figure for establishing the Dual System of Rapid Transportation (Derrick, 2001). In
1908, McAneny had actively participated in the work of the Committee on Congestion of
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Population. He believed that the provision of new subway lines was too important to be left
ignored, so he decided to take matters into his own hands (Derrick, 2001). McAneny had three
main reasons for creating new subway lines. His reasons were to relieve social problems, assure
proper development of the outlying districts, and strengthen New Yorks economy (Derrick,
2001). The Dual System of Rapid Transportation is noteworthy because it involves all of New
York City transportation lines.
Today, like many other days, most New Yorkers get on the subway without ever feeling
any sort of appreciation to the subway system. The New York subway system was built by
thousands of hard working men. The subway system facilitates most New Yorkers who dont
own a car. The system makes life easier for New Yorkers by being accessible at any given hour
for any given day regardless of the weather conditions. Unlike car insurance, the subway system
is inexpensive and one can ride from the Grand Concourse to Canarise for a single fare (Diehl,
2004). New York subway system provides passengers with quick and efficient transportation for
local or distant neighborhoods. Neighborhoods that nobody will ever dare walk to because of the
long distance. The New York subway system connects all five boroughs making transportation
from one borough to the next easier and attainable. Most importantly, the subway tracks built
what we call New York City. In order to appreciate the impact that the subway system has on
the lives of most New Yorkers, one must close their eyes and imagine the city without it.




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References

Cudahy, B. J. (1995). Under the sidewalks of new york: The story of the greatest subway system
in the world. New York, NY: Fordham University Press.
Derrick, P. (2001). Tunneling to the future: The story of the great subway expansion that saved
new york. New York, NY: New York University Press.
Diehl, L. B. (2004). Subways: The tracks that built new york city. New York, NY:
Clarkson Potter Publishers.