As if the New York subway system isn’t loud enough. Now, the city is planning to get all the 277 stations wired for cell phones and Wi-Fi in the next six years. I know other cities in Europe and Asia with subway cell phone coverage, but New York?
On one hand, this could be good. The NYC subway is not the most reliable piece of public transportation known to man. It is not uncommon for trains to just not show for 30+ minutes. Calling to say you are running late might be convenient.
At the same time, the subway is about the only place in NYC where one is not exposed to people’s private conversations. The subway is also about the only place people don’t work. The 6 train will be a trip — all the Blackberry-thumb-typists trying to catch up on email even before they get to their downtown office. What happens to the time they save by working on the subway, you ask? They go on vacation to places without cell phone coverage…