Innovation and the New York City subway

Innovation and NYC subway don't usually come together but something changed in the past year or so. One of the greatest life-changers has been the installation of countdown clocks in many of the stations, telling riders how long till the next (several) trains arrive. Now there is a smartphone app for this. (link)

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Readers of Chapter 1 of Numbers Rule Your World learn the concept behind these countdown clocks as a "congestion management" tool. It turns out that the psychology of waiting is as important as the mathematics of queuing. A minute of waiting is not the same as a minute of waiting. For instance, a minute of waiting when one is uncertain as to how long the total wait would be is much more irritating than a minute of waiting when one knows how long the total wait would be. By installing such clocks, the MTA removes the unknown which causes anxiety.

My life has absolutely improved as a result of these clocks. I feel much calmer knowing when the next train will arrive. The most amazing part of this congestion management tool is that the actual waiting time has not changed at all but the riders perceive their waiting time to have shortened.

Chapter 1 looks at the problem of congestion and how statistical concepts help us understand and tackle the problem.

Comments

[Annette]

I grew up in the Bronx and took the subway for most of my young years, until I left New York in 1971. There were never any clocks telling us how long it would be until the next train came. I do remember getting irritated but the trains ran so often - I think back then it was just the way things were and we accepted it. Same with the buses. However, riding the subway can be quite anxiety-provoking, so anything that can lessen that anxiety sounds wonderful!

[Floormaster Squeeze]

To me the greatest benefit of the countdown clocks is the ability to skip the next train coming (crowded) to take a presumed less crowded train behind it(if the countdown shows it is coming soon). When I was a regular subway commuter I chose to skip a crowded train only to be punished with a long wait at times and blessed with an empty train shortly after other times.

I have used these clocks while visiting various cities and they are even more helpful for visitors (you can actually make plans based on when trains or buses are coming).