I found 3 articles discussing the signals used for the trains by the MTA. The first article I found was from nydailynews.com and I found that the MTA subway system is using signals and switches from 80 years ago. In the article, they talk about how the MTA replace and repair the old components used for the train signals. They have not yet upgraded to something more modern. The article also brings up the cables in the tunnels are covered in 70 year old cloth which can have the problems of catching fire and water damage. The train dispatchers had to manually write down when the train entered the station. The way it is displayed is on a blackboard with small lights to represent each station. These are too outdated for today’s modern technology.
The second article I found was from Gothamist.com and I found that the MTA is in need of funds. They said the signal upgrade for the 7 line was originally estimated to cost $140.1 million but it actually cost $405.7 million. They discuss more about how MTA still needs a lot more money to upgrade it ancient subway system.
The third article I found was from villagevoice.com and I found that they talk about the history of the signals used by the trains. The subway signals we are using now is called a fixed block system. Each signal shows the status of the track. They said it is a system that works but if something goes wrong, it really bad. The article also talks about how the fixed block signal doesn’t really tell the train operator much information besides that the rail is blocked or not. Without any more information than that, train operators cannot really do much but play the safe game. They cannot go faster because they may hit another train which is not a good thing. This train signal issue also kind of creates the overcrowding issue because there may not be enough trains. Whatever trains are at the platform will get filled to the brim and become overcrowded too.
Minhaj Uddin
Dr. Carrie Hall
English 1121
April 4th, 2019
Gentrification
Many people that have lived in their neighborhood for more than a decade would realize that there is no changes that need to be done in there neighborhood. When more people move in and try to change things around for the better of themselves but not knowing that the people in there new neighborhood would not like the change that when it becomes a problem.Â
It becomes a problem because some people feel as if they are trying to take over in there neighborhood and they don’t realize that people are being affected by the way there neighborhood looks. The way you can resolve the issue is by making the people in your neighborhood realize that there is a problem and they are not noticing it. If you talk to the people in the neighborhood and come to an agreement with them then it is a neighborhood change and not only a change of what you feel is right.
In Brooklyn you will notice that in some neighborhoods there are people who hang out in front of the bodega shops and just drinks and smoke in front of it. Some people feel as if that is the wrong thing to do. There are little kids that walk by them and wonder what they are doing and they feel as if it is a bad example for their kids and some people want that to change.
People that move into new neighborhood specifically white people they feel as if they invest in buildings and raise they rent of the places that they move to will benefit the neighborhood. They feel as if the people that live in the buildings are living in junk. The people that are living there shouldn’t have to live in those types conditions. When they fix it, It then becomes a problem because of the rent. The raise the rent because the conditions of the apartments have gotten better. Some people don’t mind living in bad conditions if it brings there rent down. The “white people” don’t understand that. That is where crime plays a role in the neighborhood because people make changes without noticing the cons of doing it. Then the crime levels rise do to the fact that people lack money and they cant pay for it. It becomes a major change for them.
After people leave there neighborhoods and they come back to visit once in a while notice the changes that happen after they left. They realize what is done was done for the better of the people. They remember how hard it was back then and how often they would feel sick due to the conditions but they only realize after they left and not during the time they lived there. Sometimes changes in a neighborhood might not be that bad but make the changes with out consulting with the people that live around you might not be the best decision you make.
It never fails for trains to all of a sudden stop moving out of nowhere during service hours. This is what is referred to as a delay. One of the main reasons for train delays is signal malfunctions. For most passengers, there is nothing more disappointing than hearing the conductor announce that the train is delayed due to failures with signals. It also annoys passengers that the MTA never explains what signal failures are, why they go wrong, and things that can be done to avoid them. They just stop the train, give an excuse about signals, and expect passengers to comply with it. These delays usually last for quite some time and result in people arriving to their destinations late. Even if people aren’t in a rush to get somewhere, it’s very unlikely that they wouldn’t have a problem with sitting or standing on a train that’s stranded and doesn’t seem to be moving soon.
Just like roads, railways have signals which are traffic light devices that inform train drivers if it’s safe to advance along the tracks. Signals are positioned at the beginning of each track divided into sections to ensure that trains don’t hit each other. In a particular section, only one train should be in service. Sometimes these systems breakdown and the signal turns red and that’s what train drivers see causing them to stop the train. Signals turn red because of problems with track circuits and axle counters. Track circuits are electrical devices used to determine which track sections are occupied by trains. Axle counters are devices that detect the passing of a train between two points on a track. If anything goes wrong with these devices, it’s not safe for a train to proceed. And if trains don’t proceed on their proper schedule, things could get hectic really quickly. And people shouldn’t have to continuously pay for commutes that are twice as long than usual.
If passengers have to deal with the annoyance of trains delays due to signal problems, they should at least know the reasons why these signals fail. The subway uses the same century old technology, more specifically signaling system that was installed years ago. The way the system operates hasn’t appropriately changed since it’s establishment. This results in trains being held in stations longer than intended. It shouldn’t take as long as it takes sometimes for trains to start moving again. The proper maintenance that track circuits and axle counters need to function efficiently is not being provided to the right extent. Things such as electrical supply faults, track circuit failures, broken rail joints, blown signal lamps, or train stop faults which are referred to as signal problems can be prevented if more track work gets done.
Other than train track issues, safety rules and changes to the signal system are also reasons for long lasting delays. The MTA made decisions that they thought would bring safety to workers and passengers but only brought misery. New rules for track work were adopted. These rules include extended safety zones and setup times. Train drivers are required to slow down at certain points and this affects neighboring trains because they start to get close to each other and have no choice but to stop so they don’t clash. This associates with the decision to increase the amount of space that is required between trains. The signals that were installed to make this happen slowed trains down even more than intended. It’s very important to protect workers and passengers but it would also be relieving if ways to avoid delays were in action.
Each and everybody would need to work to earn some living to survive, and unfortunately not everybody has the same journey. Everyone was taught to go to school, and work hard to find a full time job to survive in the real world. Not everyone is fortunate enough and may experience many problems that impact an individual differently from everyone else in our society.
One of the many reasons that can lead people to going homelessness is gentrification. What I found out in my research was how the homeless can be impacted by personnel matters or even thing beyond an individual’s control.According to Vice News and HomeAid, a person who may have lost their full time job especially can affect their entire life. The mother of a daughter who was interviewed by Vice News, Danielle Williams, unfortunately lost her full time job and was unable to live in her apartment. She was eventually forced out of her home and is currently living in the van, one of the many people taking advantage of the safe parking program.
Currently our Mayor de Blasio, has implemented changes to help the homelessness in need. “homelessness has worsened, from 50,689 persons living in shelters at the time of Mayor de Blasio’s January 2014 inauguration to over 60,000 today”(NyDaily). He hasn’t help improved the situation of the rising homeless, however, he has attempted to improve and reduce the amount of people who may fall back into homelessness. He has improvised a “three plans to combat homelessness”(NyDaily) to combat homelessness by 2021. So by 2023, “Approximately 20 of the new shelters are to open each year for the next five years, with each community responsible for assuming shelters for its homeless “population(NyDaily) to help those in need in their perspective borough.
While there are many solutions out there, some notable ones in Vice News was this program that offers safe parking. If people have downgraded out of their apartments and have a car to sleep in, this would be a great place for people and be safe. In New York City, it will be very difficult because there aren’t too many free places to park your car for the night and it can be very dangerous. There are many places that have violence and safety can not be guarantee when you’re in sleeping in the city. Another solution is the HomeAid, an nonprofit organization, “builds and renovates multi-unit shelters for America’s temporarily homeless families and individuals”. These non-profit organizations also provides help especially in new york city where the public housing are so full, that many families or individuals are still waiting in line for an apartment from months to several years. Another solution would be more affordable housing for those who are unable to afford housing in our gentrifying neighborhoods such as “Manhattan and brooklyn”(NyDaily).
Work Cited
Gertler, Eric. “Combating Homelessness Today: Looking beyond Shelters – and Making It Easier to Get Housing .” Nydailynews.com, 26 Mar. 2017, www.nydailynews.com/opinion/smarter-battle-plan-homelessness-article-1.3008528.
Giraldo, Cassandra, et al. “California’s Housing Crisis Is so Bad People Are Living in Cars.” VICE News, VICE News, 6 Sept. 2018, news.vice.com/en_us/article/qvmgem/california-has-a-hidden-homelessness-crisis.
News, VICE. “The Hidden Homelessness Crisis In California (HBO).” YouTube, YouTube, 6 Sept. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wCHtOTxQak&t=20s.
Solutions, Blue Tangerine. HomeAid, www.homeaid.org/HomeAid-Stories/69/top-causes-of-homelessness.
Hey everyone! For Tuesday, please post your research memo on OpenLab and also bring in a copy for EACH MEMBER OF YOUR GROUP.
The research memo is just 1.5-2 pages in which you summarize what you learned in your research. I’m not grading you on grammar or anything. Remember! Extra credit for groups that have interviews in their research.
For the memo please click two categories: “Community Problems” AND your group’s category
GROUPS:
Preventing college date rape (category: “preventing rape”)
Noise Pollution
On My Block
MTA: System fighters (category: “system fighters”– this is Shauntai, Ife and Josh.)
Living in NYC
Saviors of the MTA (category: “saviors” David, Pavel, Eric)
But really, for Tuesday, we’ll meet back in the regular classroom. Please bring links to the articles you’ve found (2-3 per person)- or if you’re doing interviews, please come with, either the info from those interviews, or a list of interview questions (HERE are some tips on writing interview questions.)Â
To clarify:  Think of your group as a “think tank.” Together, you are trying to solve a problem. In the “research memo” you will be writing to the members of your group about the research you have done individually– more or less just summarizing what you have found. This way, you can get a lot more research done together!  These will be approx 450-500 words, but low-stakes (meaning I’m not grading your grammar, organization, etc).
Also, I will make a category for each of your groups for when you post. I’ll set those up on Tuesday.
Hey everyone– there’s no homework for Thursday, but we will meet in front of the library at 4 pm. (4th floor.) We’ll be meeting with a librarian to help you do research on your community problems question.
Laga Reh (Keep It Up) is a song by Shehzad Roy, a Pakistani singer. Everyone knows that no country is perfect and Pakistan is of them. It is filled with corrupt politicians and protesting people. Which is not very uncommon in any country. In this song the singer is telling people that everyone in this country, after every little period of time, the country is in a delicate situation and it never changes. He is telling the people that they are just too greedy when it comes to themselves. Everyone is just not satisfied with what they get. They always want more. In this, to some extent they themselves don’t understand that when they are trying to do something for themselves, they end up making it worse for the other person who is not in the same position as they are and they never stop. In the song, when the singer explains this to the public, a man just says, “so what should I do, lose hope”, at this time the singer just tells the man to never mind and keep doing what he’s doing. According to the song, even elders of the country have lost all hope and they are just praying that God will handle everything by himself so just leave everything to Him. The singer even explains that just by saying this, people are still not doing anything better and leaving everything in the hands of God. Then the singer talks about the good people in the world. He says that if anyone had a chance to, their greed would not let them stay good and they will instantly turn into the people that they are trying to stop. He tells in the song that even right now anyone who has stayed good was ditched at some point when they almost turned bad. I don’t completely agree to this that not all people are like the people he displayed in the song but I don’t completely disagree with him either because even I don’t know what I might do if I had everything in the world I wanted because probably by then I would so self absorbed, I might not realize what I might be doing wrong. In the end he gets to the straight to the point and explains that everyone is just sleeping and they need to wake up and look around and realize what is happen next to them or to them but if they don’t do it right now, it will probably be too late but right now nobody understands him.
LINK TO SONG:
TRANSLATION:
Shehzad Roy:Â When I was ten years old, I heard on the 9 o’clock news that Pakistani history is at a critical crossroads/crisis.
Kid:Â Daddyy!!
Then I turned twenty, and heard on the news once again…that Pakistani history is at a critical crossroads.
Having tied your impossible dreams to yourself, you’re standing, holding your ground.
You’re an ordinary person, dude, enough, can’t do it anymore.
Political activist:Â So what should I do? Lose hope? Roy:Â No. Just keep at it.
Chorus:
Keep at it, keep at it, you keep going.
Keep waiting, keep waiting, you remain stubborn.
Laying still, laying still, you stay still.
Respected elders–they asked me, how will the nation run?
Respected elders–I told them, keep at it, keep at it.
Respected elders–they asked me, how will the nation run?
Respected elders–I told them
I’m not concerned about whether the nation will run. I’m concerned that it might go on running like this.
Keep at it, keep at it, you keep going.
Keep waiting, keep waiting, you are waiting.
Laying still, laying still, you stay still.
Dude, there’s a lot of tension in the nation.
It’s nothing, it’s nothing, leave everything to Allah.
Don’t do a thing.
You don’t do a thing.
Everything you leave to Allah.
Allah is your protector, period.
Oi, brother, you too are facing a crossroads (can also mean “have become a cause of catastrophe“),
holding your ground.
You’re an ordinary man–hey, stop! …Now it’s painful, dude.
Lawyer:Â No way. There’re still a few noble people remaining…on the planet.
Respected elder–he asked me, who is noble, tell me.
Respected elder–I told him
A noble person is he who hasn’t had the chance yet to prove himself otherwise
Keep at it, keep at it, you keep going.
Keep waiting, keep waiting, you are waiting.
Laying still, laying still, you stay still.
Keep at it, keep at it, you keep going.
Keep waiting, keep waiting, you are waiting.
Laying still, laying still, you stay still.
Reporter:Â The entire country’s law and safety has been restored to order.
And then one day the ground will disappear beneath your feet (pun, can also mean “you will face the biggest catastrophe” and “your land will be snatched away“)
And then to you, they will say..
They will say, “you’re soaring in the clouds.”
You’re soaring in the clouds. (pun, can also mean “you are finally free“)
Poor man:Â So…will we really, truly be soaring in the clouds? Eh? Roy:Â If you won’t understand, fool, then…!
Keep at it, keep at it, you keep going.
Keep waiting, keep waiting, you are waiting.
Laying still, laying still, you stay still.
Keep at it, keep at it, you keep going.
Keep waiting, keep waiting, you are waiting.
Laying still, laying still, you stay still.
Poor man:Â That boy’s face resembled Shehzad Roy’s so much…
Politician 1: Sir, it might be time to wake up the nation. Politician 2: Don’t wake them up! They’re sleeping because of some very important work.
No matter if we like it or not technology will be apart of our lifestyles in the future. So we as humans need to adapt with technology in hopes to make a better world. However, because of the human nature, greed and money will always be a motivation. Technology in the right hands can benefit humans tremendously; however if it’s in the wrong hands it will only slow down or destroy the progression of humans. Elon Musk envisions a world only powered by reusable energy in hopes of preventing serious climate change damages. With Musk’s recent and most known invention, Tesla electrics cars, he hopes to create a safer world for the human race.
Since the invention of motor vehicles, awareness to prevent climate change with our vehicles were made. Things like car pooling or cars made to run on half gasoline and electricity at the same time. But were are coming to a point where small changes will only make small progression in fixing this major issue. Tesla cars that are solely ran by electricity is addressing the issue at the head of the snake. According to Union of Concerned Scientist, gas powered cars and trucks are producing 24 pounds of carbon dioxide per gallon used. Our personal vehicles are 1/5 of the cause of US carbon dioxide being released into our environment. Our personal vehicles and public vehicles like trucks, planes, and ship count for about 30% of all US warming emissions. If we’re able to create a world where our vehicles are no longer powered by gas, we would be addressing 30% of the climate change issues.Â
With Musks creation of the Tesla car, he is pushing business and social boundaries by doing what was thought was the impossible. I was fortunate enough to be able to meet a mentor that made it far in the car industry. She informed me that she left the industry because cars innovation was too ahead of the time for people to understand and adapted too. She said simply that the car industry was moving too slow but had so much potential to excel. It is human nature to cling on to things that we are comfortable with whether it is people, habits, or technology. When Apple was releasing the iPhone 7 people went crazy that there were not going to be a AUX input for wired headphones. People were concerned about how they will charge and listen to music at the same time. Some customers switched Apple’s competitors Samsung just so they can have the comfort of the AUX input. During a TED talk with Elon Mush they talk about the concerns and safety people relying on electric self driving cars. Its difficult relying on a piece of technology that will make life or death decisions for you. No one believed that self driving cars would be apart of our generation. Humans are far from perfect and we make mistakes daily. According to Bryant Walker Smith, from The Center for Internet and Society, 99% for car crashes are caused by a human mistakes. If were able to create a world where humans can no longer make those mistakes behind a wheel and allow efficient technology to work cohesively together, car crashes and death should then be limited. Nothing will ever be perfect, but people and inventions should always strive for perfection. Comparing technology mistakes and human mistakes, technology is the closest thing to a perfect safe driving world.
We currently live in a world where big company purposely have planned obsolescence strategies to make as much money as they can. With huge corporate company dominating the car industry, they are only motivated by money and personal greed. I believe that these car company always had some sort of technology to prevent climate change or push innovations but didn’t want to release it to so they can drag out technology for profit.
Musk’s motivation is the protection of the human race and efficiency. Musk wants to make Mars habitable just to protect the human race from extinction. Musk’s introducing the self driving electric cars is pushing competitors and car innovations as a whole. In 2014, Musk released all blue prints of the Tesla models to all competitors. Simon Sproule, a spokesman for Tesla states “The mission of the company is to accelerate the widespread adoption of electric cars.” In another interview with Musk; he mentions how he wouldn’t care if another business were to take over the electric car industry because it will still be for the greater good for humans. Now in 2018, majority of the top car companies introduce all electric cars releasing within a few years. Huge car companies like BMW, Ford, Nissan, Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen and many more. A new cars campaign was made “Drive Change. Drive Electric.” Tesla and Elon Musk is the leading image for the electric car revolution and hopefully an answer to climate change.
One of the risks Musk takes with Tesla is that one mistake could be the end of the company and all self driving cars as a whole because people will lose trust in the technology. In the interview with TED states the 1/1000 crashes is still not good enough to convince a driver that any self driving vehicle is safe enough. He aiming to life times, where a Tesla car has not crashed within 5 life times. If a self driving car were to cause an accident, people will become skeptical relying their life on this technology. This is why other corporate car companies haven’t tried to develop anything close to the Tesla because they know if they fail it could result to the end of the company. With companies motivated by money and greed they will never take the necessary risks to help innovate humans as a whole. Leader and activist Beyoncè, risks her career and self image to perform live at the Super Bowl addressing issues like Women and black rights in hopes to motivate women and minorities. Musk sees the human species is endangered if change isn’t made soon. Musk is risking his multi-million business and the image of future technology in hope of creating a solution to climate change and a safer way of transportation.
Technology is in our future and we need to start adapting to the changes. It also needs to be regulated so that we can ensure that the technology is in the right hands and is being used for the greater good for the human race. It can do great things if supported by innovators who wants humans to advance as a whole. Musk is pushing boundaries and motivating other car companies to make a world where gas powered cars will no longer be a thing in the future.
Golson, Jordan. “Tesla Just Gave All Its Patents Away to Competitors.” Wired, CNMN Collection, 3 June 2017, www.wired.com/2014/06/tesla-just-gave-all-its-patents-away-to-competitors/.Hawkins,
Smith , Bryant Walker. “Human Error as a Cause of Vehicle Crashes.” Center for Internet and Society, Stanford Law School, 28 Mar. 1970, cyberlaw.stanford.edu/blog/2013/12/human-error-cause-vehicle-crashes.
The Electronic Foundation is a program that supports basic human right and needs with technology around the world. The EFF protects the internets freedom of speech and expression. I would try to publish this writing piece with this foundation because it’s a political platform with the understanding of the need of internet protection.
