Long Island, NY - April 22, 2015 - Keep Your Feet Off the Seat, Use the Overhead Rack and Take Your Litter With You Are Some of the Reminders Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Customers Will See.
You’ve seen it on subways and buses, and now the MTA’s Courtesy Counts, Manners Make a Better Ride poster campaign is coming to a railroad car near you.
Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North customers at one time or another have witnessed that person who has taken up an extra seat with his or her feet or belongings, or left their empty water bottle behind only to have it roll down the aisle. These actions, and others, often create an atmosphere that can make a daily commute unpleasant and stressful.
This month, both commuter railroads have begun implementing their Courtesy Counts campaign with over 2,000 car cards placed throughout passenger trains. The messages will serve to remind the railroad’s combined 576 thousand daily customers that they can help make the trip quicker and more pleasant by demonstrating a personal, consistent commitment to courtesy.
“When you’re spending upwards of an hour or two per day, sharing space with others, it’s important to maintain a certain level of courtesy,” said Long Island Rail Road President Patrick Nowakowski. “The simple act of keeping your feet off the seats or holding onto your belongings makes for a more comfortable trip for everyone.”
“As we continue to maintain a high level of standards to serve our customers, we hope they, too, can help make the railroad run more efficiently by taking small steps to be more courteous,” said Metro-North Railroad President Joseph Giulietti. “Letting passengers on and off trains quickly and safely is one way to trim valuable seconds from the time a train dwells in a station while keeping belongings out of aisles safely makes more room for everyone.”
The program, developed by MTA Corporate Communications, highlights behaviors that are both encouraged and discouraged for the benefit of everyone. The messaging largely reflects complaints and suggestions from riders. In January, a series of Courtesy Counts placards began appearing inside subway cars to fend off “manspreading” and “pole hogging.” A bus campaign with similar messages followed in March.
The colorfully-designed car cards, which measure 33 inches high and 21 inches wide, will be placed where you normally see advertisements inside train cars. The cards employ simple graphics to illustrate behavioral “do” and “don’t” scenarios. The illustrations are reinforced with pithy statements such as:
- “Keep Your Feet Off the Seat”
- “Use the Overhead Rack”
- “Take Your Litter With You”
- “Keep Your Belongings Out of the Aisles”
- “Take Your Pack Off Your Back”
- “Offer Your Seat to an Elderly, Disabled, or Pregnant Person”
- “Keep the Volume to Yourself”
- “Groom at Home”
- “Step Aside to Let Others Off First”
- “Don’t Block the Doors”
All of the topics and suggestions are intended to raise customer awareness of what they can do to create a better ride for everyone. The car cards will be consistent reminders that courteous behavior is in everyone’s best interest.