tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7350606083613108606.post1250739311559418400..comments2024-03-26T00:35:17.633-07:00Comments on Getting from here to there: Why subway countdown clocks are importantAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15652887148371033287noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7350606083613108606.post-77116537027750706872011-02-01T11:48:29.858-08:002011-02-01T11:48:29.858-08:00I agree that the clocks are potentially more usefu...I agree that the clocks are potentially more useful before you go through the turnstile, and many of the NYC stations do offer this.<br />The NY MTA is rolling out a bus locator service this week that will likely go systemwide.<br />http://www.mta.info/nyct/BusTime_desktop.htm<br />And with the service cutbacks much of the off-hour subway service is infrequent enough that knowing when a train is coming may change travel decisions.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15652887148371033287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7350606083613108606.post-4256695685425218282011-02-01T10:18:35.350-08:002011-02-01T10:18:35.350-08:00Countdown clocks are nice when you're on the p...Countdown clocks are nice when you're on the platform, but it really is just psychological comfort. They're a whole lot more useful outside the station, as a decision aid. Do I run for the train, or do I have time to grab a cup of coffee? By the time you're on the platform, really, there's not much you can do with that information, other than continue to wait (though for a defined period).<br /><br />Perhaps they're also even more useful for buses, and particularly stops where multiple bus routes pass by; on a subway line, the infrastructure itself communicates a certain sense of frequency (one almost never has to wait more than 10 or 15min for a subway), while bus frequencies can be much more variable (5min or 1h), meaning that time information is much more useful, both in the psychological reassurance sense, as well as the practical, time for coffee (or other errands) before the bus comes sense.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11795441669631155056noreply@blogger.com