This Morning's Commute Was the Worst Commute of All Time
Between the ice storm and the Super Bowl, this week will go down in history as the worst week for tri-state commuters of all time. Early this morning, a wintry mix the likes of which has not been seen since last year hit New York City, New Jersey, and Long Island.
Not only has it caused power outages and ponds of sidewalk slush from the far reaches of Long Island to New Jersey, but it also means the worst commute of the year for those brave enough to come in to work.
Trains are stalled, cars are sliding, socks are soggy: welcome to the Commute from Hell.
Streets from Hell
It's been an icy winter already–so much so that New York Governor Cuomo declared a state of emergency this morning because of salt shortages in New York City and Long Island. 130 truckloads of salt are needed to melt the snow and ice there, and that doesn't include New Jersey, which is facing its own salt shortage. Con Ed is reporting 2,500 people without power, and Cuomo said that 559 have lost power in Long Island. Nevertheless, authorities are thinking of the children: New York City's public schools have all remained open for business.
No plows. No subway. But NYC cops writing parking tickets in the snow. Only in ny. @abc7ny pic.twitter.com/ufts1eRH5y
— Bill Ritter (@billritter7) February 5, 2014
Drove from exit 68 to 49 on the LIE, saw 6 cars that had slid into snow banks on the side of the road. Careful! #lisnow
— Erin Geismar (@ErinGeismar) February 5, 2014
Waited 20min for the bus, so much traffic, an hr late, now stuck on the 1 train bc of a power outage #killme #nyc #deblasiosucks #wanttodie
— Mark Lipari (@MarkLipari) February 5, 2014
Not that often you see someone cross country skiing next to someone biking... on their commute. #SnowDayPlease pic.twitter.com/1OXKaIHSNv
— Baishi Wu (@baishi) February 5, 2014
@NYCMayorsOffice know u don't care about #midtown but few hundred thousand use 50th to get to work. Maybe plow it once? #snow #nyc #traffic
— Ruthie Wittenberg (@wittysend) February 5, 2014
Stepped in a foot of water #thanksdeblasio
— lils (@LillyMuja) February 5, 2014
Subways from Hell
Subways are usually a reliable way to get around the city, even in inclement weather. But this morning during rush hour, the subway system reported delays and service changes for numerous lines. The 1/2/3 line, which runs from eastern Brooklyn through the length of Manhattan and ends at the tip of the Bronx–lots of people ride this line–had its power knocked out and suspended service between 42nd St. and 137th St. Because of a fire at Grand Central, there were no 7 trains between Queensboro Plaza and 42nd St. In turn, problems at Queensboro Plaza led to N and Q train delays. And to top it all off, the G train between Brooklyn and Queens changed its schedule because of signal problems. Even trains that were supposedly running on schedule were slowed on the slick rails.
Traffic in the 42nd street subway station=Atlanta last week. pic.twitter.com/g6l3ghSeUp
— Nicholas Thompson (@nxthompson) February 5, 2014
Ugh the morning commute. Line terminated, overcrowded and no ETA. Freaking snow. pic.twitter.com/LQOeIYxGTT
— Faye Bi (@faye_bi) February 5, 2014
Soooo to recap, no 1/2/3/7/5/LIRR/Metro North/NJT? And we're out of salt in NYC. This commute should be interesting!
— Shannon (@Fox_NYC) February 5, 2014
Trains from Hell
For those living outside the five boroughs, trains are usually the best way to get to their jobs in Manhattan. But–you guessed it!–the rail commute was no better this morning than any other option. New Jersey Transit had already planned to operate on a modified storm schedule, but soon it was announcing half-hour delays on all lines throughout the state and the complete suspension of service on one major line between New Jersey and New York City. The Long Island Railroad hasn't fared much better: amid numerous delays (some over an hour and a half), stretches of some lines stopped running entirely.
Stuck on NJTransit!!!! Train has lost power due to the ice storm. I wonder how long before we will have to eat each other to stay alive!
— J.P. Rosenbaum (@JP_Rosenbaum) February 5, 2014
We are making every local stop now on the #LIRR! Getting to enjoy the real beauty that is Long Island!!!
— Michael Bisceglia (@mike_cbsradio) February 5, 2014
This is an empty NJ Transit 8:09 train to New York. Never seen this before. End of times? pic.twitter.com/XOMOM53KXQ
— Isaac Saul (@Ike_Saul) February 5, 2014
Do you have any ice-storm commute pictures or stories? Share them below!
[Image via AP]