The first time I went to New York City, I spent a good deal of time just trying to figure out the subway system. I wasn’t used to subway systems then — the biggest city I had lived in at that point was Guelph — so the maze of different lines and stops and exits was very confusing for me. Luckily, my friends and I were staying with someone who lived there, so we really didn’t need to pay attention to these sorts of details. Still, I wanted to see if by the end of our weekend stay, I could get to a point where I’d be able to navigate the Big Apple’s public transportation system without holding somebody’s hand.

The most challenging thing for me was the announcements. With so many lines, there were numerous times when trains would “short turn,” forcing passengers to get off and walk up or down stairs to transfer to a different line. The problem was, I could never understand (because I could barely hear) the announcements that were often made. It was like I spoke a foreign language — most other people seemed to understand what was said (including our host), but to me, the announcements were a jumble of static. When it was time to go home, getting around on New York’s subway system still eluded me.

I’d like to think that now that I’ve had more big-city experiences, having tackled the subway systems in Tokyo and Seoul (where, by the way, there’s plenty of very clear English on the PAs), getting around in New York would be no problem. But I’m skeptical — if I continued to hear more static than words in commuter announcements, It’s doubtful that I would get through a trip mistake-free.

Getting around on the subway is a lot easier in Toronto, of course, especially because there are only a few lines. The PA system is usually good enough, and if I don’t catch an announcement, I’ve learned to look around at the (usually) disappointed faces of other passengers for details. Also, since I’m familiar with the streets and stations in T.O., even if the person making an announcement slurs or mispronounces their words, I can usually figure out what it is that they are saying. But as Jeff Gray, A.K.A. Dr. Gridlock, explains in today’s Globe and Mail,  figuring out what’s going on isn’t always easy. He describes a recent experience he had when there was a delay during rush hour at Yonge Station:

Within a minute or so, commuters ended up stuck on the stairs and the (immobilized) escalator, unable to press ahead or to retreat as emptying Yonge line trains disgorged more people behind them.
The usual faint announcement was coming across the TTC's tinny, useless speakers, but I was standing directly under one and couldn't make it out. This was partly due to the TTC-licensed busker behind me, who continued to strum his loudly amplified acoustic guitar, despite the increasingly exasperated commuters swirling around him.
Most infuriating, however, were those flashy TV screens all along the northbound platform. Instead of telling us - with flashing red lights or something - what the problem was, these screens were displaying the face of a missing woman, and advising TTC riders to take off their knapsacks on crowded trains.