Straphangers Campaign
Encyclopedia
The Straphangers Campaign is a New York City
-based transit interest group that critiques the operations and planning activities of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority and especially that agency's affiliate, New York City Transit
, operator of the city's huge subway
and bus
system. The Campaign also conducts political advocacy
to promote policies that it believes are in the interest of New York City's transit riders. The organization is part of the broader political group, NYPIRG (New York Public Interest Research Group).
The Straphangers Campaign's main spokesperson and staff attorney
, Gene Russianoff
, often represents the group's positions at public hearings and in the local press. The group's New York City focus is sometimes in opposition to the interests of riders of suburban systems (such as the commuter railroads) when it perceives the needs of the latter to be in conflict with those of city residents.
On its website, the group claims credit for a number of local achievements, from helping to secure $30 billion dollars (USD) for transit repairs since 1981 to saving Philip's Saltwater Taffy in Coney Island from closure. The website also contains a discussion forum primarily concerned with the tri-state (NY-NJ-CT) area's transportation systems.
The group's name is derived from the colloquial
term "straphanger
" for transit riders who gripped the hanging leather
straps to keep their balance while the vehicle was in motion.
The Pokey Awards 2008 results, announced on November 12 (the slowest bus routes per borough):
New for 2006 is the bus "Unreliables Award" given to the bus lines that rated worst in "bunching," with major gaps in service (essentially, amount of deviation from posted timetables). The M1 bus in Manhattan "won", with 27.6% unreliability.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
-based transit interest group that critiques the operations and planning activities of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority and especially that agency's affiliate, New York City Transit
New York City Transit Authority
The New York City Transit Authority is a public authority in the U.S. state of New York that operates public transportation in New York City...
, operator of the city's huge subway
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
and bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
system. The Campaign also conducts political advocacy
Advocacy
Advocacy is a political process by an individual or a large group which normally aims to influence public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions; it may be motivated from moral, ethical or faith principles or simply to protect an...
to promote policies that it believes are in the interest of New York City's transit riders. The organization is part of the broader political group, NYPIRG (New York Public Interest Research Group).
The Straphangers Campaign's main spokesperson and staff attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, Gene Russianoff
Gene Russianoff
Gene Russianoff is staff attorney and chief spokesman for the Straphangers Campaign for NYPIRG, a New York City-based public transport advocacy group that focuses primarily on subway and bus services run by New York City Transit....
, often represents the group's positions at public hearings and in the local press. The group's New York City focus is sometimes in opposition to the interests of riders of suburban systems (such as the commuter railroads) when it perceives the needs of the latter to be in conflict with those of city residents.
On its website, the group claims credit for a number of local achievements, from helping to secure $30 billion dollars (USD) for transit repairs since 1981 to saving Philip's Saltwater Taffy in Coney Island from closure. The website also contains a discussion forum primarily concerned with the tri-state (NY-NJ-CT) area's transportation systems.
The group's name is derived from the colloquial
Colloquialism
A colloquialism is a word or phrase that is common in everyday, unconstrained conversation rather than in formal speech, academic writing, or paralinguistics. Dictionaries often display colloquial words and phrases with the abbreviation colloq. as an identifier...
term "straphanger
Straphanger
Straphanger is a nickname for a standing subway or bus passenger who grips a hanging strap for support...
" for transit riders who gripped the hanging leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
straps to keep their balance while the vehicle was in motion.
Pokey Awards
The Pokey Awards, a product of the Straphangers Campaign, tells the public which bus is the slowest in the city. They have been announced annually since 2002.The Pokey Awards 2008 results, announced on November 12 (the slowest bus routes per borough):
| Borough in New York City | Bus Route | Average Miles Per Hour |
|---|---|---|
| Manhattan | M96 | 3.7 |
| Bronx | Bx19 | 5.3 |
| Staten Island | S42 | 11.4 |
| Brooklyn | B63 | 4.9 |
| Queens | Q56 | 6.1 |
Other "awards" and surveys
The Straphangers Campaign also conducts annual surveys checking the performance of all subway lines. Key factors include timeliness, reliability (service breakdowns), seating availability, clarity of announcements, and cleanliness (dirtiness is colloquially called "schmutz"). A separate survey checks the performance of public pay telephones in subway stations.New for 2006 is the bus "Unreliables Award" given to the bus lines that rated worst in "bunching," with major gaps in service (essentially, amount of deviation from posted timetables). The M1 bus in Manhattan "won", with 27.6% unreliability.
External links
- Straphangers Campaign official website
- NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign records, 1962-2007 Manuscripts and Archives, New York Public Library.