COMMUTER COUNCIL & METRO-NORTH SURVEY
RIDERS
(New York, NY -
April 27, 2002): Commuters on Metro-North
in Connecticut are being asked what they think about fellow riders’ use of cell
phones, as the CT Rail Commuter Council continues its proposal for dedicated
“Quiet Cars” on each train.
As part of its quarterly Customer Satisfaction
Survey, Metro-North, in conjunction with the CT Rail Commuter Council, has
added several specific questions about cell phone usage on the trains. The goal of the questions is to quantify
what, if any, objection riders may have to the use of cell phones on the trains
in a manner which disturbs others’ tranquility.
“It’s been a year since I first proposed the concept
of ‘Quiet Cars’ ,” says Jim Cameron, Vice Chmn of the
Commuter Council, “ and am I am still getting complaints from riders about
cell phone abuse… loud ringing noises,
rude behavior by riders carrying on long calls from their seat,
etc. All this despite the MTA public
service campaign on rider courtesy!”
“When I approached the Metro-North board
last July about our idea, they said they would test its necessity with this
survey which, unfortunately, was delayed by 9-11. We’ll be anxious to see the survey results to see if most riders
share our ideas of riders’ rights to a quiet, enjoyable, cell-phone-free
commute,” says Cameron.
Under the Council’s plan, one car
on each train would be designated a “Quiet Car” where riders could be seated
with the expectation of no cell phones or loud conversations. If demand grew, additional cars could be so
designated. The Quiet Car plan is
modeled after Amtrak’s
highly successful test of cell-phone free cars.
“I am not opposed to cell-phones,” notes
Cameron. “I use one myself, even on the
train. But if I’m going to make a call
I leave my seat and go to the doorway vestibule. And I always leave my phone on ‘vibrate’ rather than ring. Its just common courtesy, isn’t it?”
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