The Daily Q: What can riders get arrested for doing on subways?

Posted January 13, 2012 By Pei Shan Hoe

What can riders get arrested for doing on subways?

Did you know that what most consider sloppy train manners can get you in trouble with the New York Police Department?

We’re talking about improper seating on a subway — things like propping your feet up and lying across seats. According to a recent New York Times report, these are some of the most minor crimes City dwellers are routinely taken into NYPD custody for. As the Times found:

Seven years ago, rule 1050(7)(J) of the city’s transit code criminalized what was once simply bad etiquette: passengers putting their feet on a subway seat. They also cannot take up more than one seat if it interferes with other passengers’ comfort, nor can they block movement on a subway by doing something like standing too close to the doors.

NYPD officers gave out more than 6,000 tickets for such violations last year, wrote the Times. And all too often, some of those tickets resulted in arrests, court cases, and in some instances, deportation.

We’re thinking no one wants that happening to them, so the New York World would like to know: What can riders get arrested for doing on subways?

If you have information or insights to share, please comment below, write us, or tweet to @thenyworld.

What we found

You’ll find all possible violations in the MTA’s Rules of Conduct. We’ve compiled the essential ones below, so you’ll have guidelines on how to stay out of trouble. But before you begin to worry that riding the subway after a few beers (see #3) could land you in jail, remember that while some violators are arrested, many more end up up with a ticket for a fine of up to $100.

MTA spokesperson Charles Seaton told the New York World that it is entirely up to NYPD officers to determine which course of action to take. (The NYPD could not respond to queries in time for today’s update.) The Times also had difficulty pinning down the exact criteria NYPD folks consider before choosing to throw someone in jail; some people had outstanding warrants while others may just have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and at least one arrest led to deportation. An anonymous police officer patrolling the transit system told the paper that “officers were under pressure from supervisors to ‘bring in one collar’ each month.”

Herewith, The New York World Guide to Avoiding Arrest in the Subway

1) Photography is allowed, but not any form of projections be they from film, videorecorders or slides. “You can’t hold a show in the subway,” says Seaton. See section 1050.6 (5)

2) No lying down or taking up more than one seat (unless absolutely necessary because of a person’s size). See sections 1050.7 (10) and (5) which prohibits sleeping and dozing if it is hazardous or interfering with fellow passengers. The latter may make snoring sound like a violation, but we checked — it’s okay to snore in the subway, even if it’s loud and annoying.

3) If you’re drinking, don’t drive. But don’t take the subway, either, unless you’ve recovered fully from the impairing effects of alcohol. See section 1050.7 (8).

4) Do not put your foot or feet on a seat, even if the train is empty. See section 1050.7(10)(2)

5) Refrain from copying those subway breakdancing buskers (who, by the way, are acting illegally by soliciting donations on the train) because if you flip and end up on your back on the floor, that, too, is a violation. See section 1050.7(10)(3)

6) Get out of the way when people ask you: Do not “block free movement on a station, stairway, platform or conveyance.” See section 1050.7(10)(4)

7) And finally, the subway is not Noah’s Ark. No free-roaming animals allowed, unless they are “service animals” (e.g. for the disabled) or “enclosed in a container and carried in a manner which would not annoy other passengers.” See section 1050.9(8)

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<h1>The Daily Q: What can riders get arrested for doing on subways?</h1><h3>What can riders get arrested for doing on subways?</h3>
<a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.thenewyorkworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/dailyQ2-01.jpg');" href="http://www.thenewyorkworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/dailyQ2-01.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-2600" title="dailyQ2-01" src="http://www.thenewyorkworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/dailyQ2-01.jpg" alt="" width="105" height="105" /></a>
Did you know that what most consider sloppy train manners can get you in trouble with the New York Police Department?
We’re talking about improper seating on a subway — things like propping your feet up and lying across seats. According to a recent New York Times <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.nytimes.com/2012/01/07/nyregion/minor-offense-on-ny-subway-can-bring-ticket-or-handcuffs.html?_r=1&seid=auto&smid=tw-nytmetro&pagewanted=all');" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/07/nyregion/minor-offense-on-ny-subway-can-bring-ticket-or-handcuffs.html?_r=1&seid=auto&smid=tw-nytmetro&pagewanted=all">report</a>, these are some of the most minor crimes City dwellers are routinely taken into NYPD custody for. As the Times found:
Seven years ago, rule 1050(7)(J) of the city’s transit code criminalized what was once simply bad etiquette: passengers putting their feet on a subway seat. They also cannot take up more than one seat if it interferes with other passengers’ comfort, nor can they block movement on a subway by doing something like standing too close to the doors.
NYPD officers gave out more than 6,000 tickets for such violations last year, wrote the Times. And all too often, some of those tickets resulted in arrests, court cases, and in some instances, deportation.
We’re thinking no one wants that happening to them, so the New York World would like to know: What can riders get arrested for doing on subways?
If you have information or insights to share, please comment below, <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/mailto/nyworld@thenewyorkworld.com');" href="mailto:nyworld@thenewyorkworld.com">write us</a>, or tweet to @thenyworld.
<h3 style="text-align: left;">What we found</h3>
You’ll find all possible violations in the MTA’s <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.mta.info/nyct/rules/rules.htm#fines');" href="http://www.mta.info/nyct/rules/rules.htm#fines">Rules of Conduct</a>. We’ve compiled the essential ones below, so you’ll have guidelines on how to stay out of trouble. But before you begin to worry that riding the subway after a few beers (see #3) could land you in jail, remember that while some violators are arrested, many more end up up with a ticket for a fine of up to $100.

MTA spokesperson Charles Seaton told the New York World that it is entirely up to NYPD officers to determine which course of action to take. (The NYPD could not respond to queries in time for today’s update.) The Times also had difficulty pinning down the exact criteria NYPD folks consider before choosing to throw someone in jail; some people had outstanding warrants while others may just have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and at least one arrest led to deportation. An anonymous police officer patrolling the transit system told the paper that “officers were under pressure from supervisors to ‘bring in one collar’ each month.”
Herewith, The New York World Guide to Avoiding Arrest in the Subway
1) Photography is allowed, but not any form of projections be they from film, videorecorders or slides. “You can’t hold a show in the subway,” says Seaton. See section 1050.6 (5)
2) No lying down or taking up more than one seat (unless absolutely necessary because of a person’s size). See sections 1050.7 (10) and (5) which prohibits sleeping and dozing if it is hazardous or interfering with fellow passengers. The latter may make snoring sound like a violation, but we checked — it’s okay to snore in the subway, even if it’s loud and annoying.
3) If you’re drinking, don’t drive. But don’t take the subway, either, unless you’ve recovered fully from the impairing effects of alcohol. See section 1050.7 (8).
4) Do not put your foot or feet on a seat, even if the train is empty. See section 1050.7(10)(2)
5) Refrain from copying those subway breakdancing buskers (who, by the way, are acting illegally by soliciting donations on the train) because if you flip and end up on your back on the floor, that, too, is a violation. See section 1050.7(10)(3)
6) Get out of the way when people ask you: Do not “block free movement on a station, stairway, platform or conveyance.” See section 1050.7(10)(4)
7) And finally, the subway is not Noah’s Ark. No free-roaming animals allowed, unless they are “service animals” (e.g. for the disabled) or “enclosed in a container and carried in a manner which would not annoy other passengers.” See section 1050.9(8)

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