The train and Path cars are so overcrowded to the point that New Yorkers are opting for riding bikes to work.There is an eeriness that lingers through the NJ Transit, the Path stations, and the subways of New York. It’s like nothing any commuter has ever seen before in the over populated tri-state area. 

People who rely on public transportation for their daily commute are potentially exposing themselves everyday. After 4 p.m. during rush hour, social distancing doesn’t exist. Certain subway and Path lines still get stuffed like sardine cans. Everyone is obligated to wear a mask while taking public transportation. The MTA issues $50 fines to anyone not wearing masks, yet there are people who still refuse to follow the covid safety guidelines. Coronavirus cases are increasing each day in New Jersey and New York and many commuters are in constant worry of their safety.

Between the months of October and November, I rode NJ Transit from Elizabeth, New Jersey, to the Q subway line that takes you to Coney Island, and everything in-between to photograph what the new version of commuting looks like. Here is what I encountered above and underground. 

A person sits looking at their phone while riding the NJ Transit towards Newark Penn Station. October 26, 2020. Photo by Michelle Diaz

A person reading on the Path from New Jersey to New York. November 9, 2020. Photo by Michelle Diaz

A person carries flowers off the Path at Newark Penn Station in New Jersey. October 27, 2020. Photo by Michelle Diaz

A person sleeps on the subway in Manhattan, New York. November 17, 2020. Photo by Michelle Diaz

People on the subway in Manhattan, New York. November 14, 2020. Photo by Michelle Diaz

People on the D subway line heading to Coney Island, New York. November 17, 2020. Photo by Michelle Diaz

People coming and going from the Path at the World Trade Center Station. November 3, 2020. Photo by Michelle Diaz

A person sleeping listening to their earphones on the L train in Brooklyn, New York. November 20, 2020. Photo by Michelle Diaz

A family on the Q subway line going to Coney Island, New York. November 25, 2020. Photo by Michelle Diaz

The subway doors close as a person looks into the subway car. November 25, 2020. Photo by Michelle Diaz

A person taking the Q subway line to Coney Island, New York. November 25, 2020. Photo by Michelle Diaz

The view of Luna Park at Coney Island, New York though the Q subway line. November 25, 2020. Photo by Michelle Diaz

The post Commuting in a pandemic world appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

HOBOKEN, N.J.–Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) commuters can finally return to a sense of normalcy three months after Hurricane Sandy made landfall.

PATH announced Jan. 30 that service from Hoboken and the World Trade Center would be restored for full weekday service. During the storm, over five feet of water burst through the elevator shaft and into the Hoboken PATH station, destroying underground electrical grids and left the vulnerable New Jersey commuter city flooded and in shambles.

Of Hoboken’s roughly 50,000 residents, over 56 percent  use public transportation, and suspended service left many people scrambling to find alternative ways to travel to midtown and lower Manhattan. What ensued were long lines and extensive commute times months after many other Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) stations, including tunnels under the East River that received extensive flooding, reopened.

Matt Critelli of Hoboken, N.J., echoed many frustrations of PATH commuters, not expecting service to be suspended months after Hurricane Sandy.

“I had no idea it would last as long as it did,” Critelli, 27, said as he exited the Hoboken PATH station. “I figured service would be down for two to three weeks. It seemed like they never had a timetable.”

Post-Sandy, Critelli had to take the ferry into Midtown, nearly tripling his commute time as well as emptying his wallet.

“It got pretty expensive,” he said. “It was mostly financially inconvenient.”

Joshua Josephson, also of Hoboken, N.J., works a block away from the World Trade Center, and relies heavily on the PATH to get to lower Manhattan daily. Like many other PATH riders, he did not understand why such a commuter-dependent community remained without its main transportation hub for so long.

“I don’t know what the procedures were (and) why Hoboken was the last to get full service,” Josephson, 27, said.

While weekday service has been fully restored, weekend riders still face closures. The PATH stations at Exchange Place and the World Trade Center remained closed on weekends as PATH crews continue repairs. According to the PATH website, the stations will not open for weekend service until next month.

And overnight service from Newark and World Trade Center is not expected to be open until March, the final piece that will restore PATH service to a pre-Sandy schedule.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie commended the work of PATH officials and the many riders who have endured the wait.

“PATH riders’ patience, understanding and flexibility under such difficult circumstances are great examples of how the people of this region respond in the face of tragedy, and today is another major step toward returning our daily lives and routines to normal,” he said in a Jan. 30 release.

If anything, many riders have gained a sense of appreciation for what was and essentially still remains a major transportation hub for commuters.

“I think a lot of us took the PATH for granted,” said Critelli. “After not having it for a while, we see how much we use it every single day and on the weekends.”

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