New Yorkers refer to the subway car that houses a particularly pungent person as the “bum car” so often that it has it’s own Urdan Dictionary entry. The somewhat insensitive phrase is used something like this, “oh no wait, don’t go in, that’s the bum car, let’s squeeze into this one.” According to Queens Crap, some riders in Jamaica got hit with a one-two punch when NYPD officers added insult to injury by ticketing passengers who were fleeing the smell.
Pamela Hazel writes in to the Queens-based blog, saying that police were aware of the riders being crowded into a particularly hard to stomach car after boarding on the first stop at Jamaica Center Station:
Then bam, in and out; like a dusty blue bell. Riders trying to escape danger to their health from bums; they passed through the train cars in search of clean air.
But as they bolted through the train cars, they encountered police officers. Each rider was extracted from the train by the police; and given a ticket.
The police officers are quite aware of the routine; so they were armed and ready with their ticket booklet. Ironically, passing through the cars is illegal; it is meant to keep riders safe.
However, it is legal for riders to inhale germs. A deliberate effort to make people sick. Anyone has a better logical conclusion?
Seems like the slowdown is officially over and broken windows policing is back in full effect.
(Photo: John Tracy)
