NWR GAP....

im watching the news right now and another person fell through a gap????? give me a break this is getting old now.....funny how nooone falls through the gaps in how long all of a sudden someone does and now its happening all the time???? WAKE UP PEOPLE WATCH WHERE YOUR WALKING!!!

My first reaction was to find it funny, too -- being a commuter and all who has never had a problem with the gap.

But then I came to find out that all LIRR stations are not created equal. There are some platforms that are curved where the tracks are not (or don't curve enough), creating larger gaps of up to a foot. I mean, yeah, a big part of me wants to say 'watch where you're going!' but then I remind myself that an accident is still tragic, even if the cause seems 'stupid' to me.

You also need to remember that people push and shove and generally aren't looking out for fellow commuters during rush hour. They want to get on the train, get a seat, and get where they're going as quickly as possible. Even if you're careful, you still get pushed around. If you get pushed around and there's a 12' gap, I can see how people could get hurt.

Unfortunately, it's going to be a VERY expensive problem to fix correctly...

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Posted by Kara and Todd

My first reaction was to find it funny, too -- being a commuter and all who has never had a problem with the gap.

But then I came to find out that all LIRR stations are not created equal. There are some platforms that are curved where the tracks are not (or don't curve enough), creating larger gaps of up to a foot. I mean, yeah, a big part of me wants to say 'watch where you're going!' but then I remind myself that an accident is still tragic, even if the cause seems 'stupid' to me.

You also need to remember that people push and shove and generally aren't looking out for fellow commuters during rush hour. They want to get on the train, get a seat, and get where they're going as quickly as possible. Even if you're careful, you still get pushed around. If you get pushed around and there's a 12' gap, I can see how people could get hurt.

Unfortunately, it's going to be a VERY expensive problem to fix correctly...

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I completely agree.. And I also do not think that this is a new problem. I am sure plenty of ppl have fallen into or through the gap before...it just wansn't on the news. I have a friend who takes the LIRR everyday..and says that more ppl jump onto the tracks to committ suicide then you would ever imagine. That is never on the news either.