I lived on the L train for 7 years up until recently.
In my estimation, shoving onto the train just wasn't worth it. It makes the ride much more miserable for people in the car, and it delays the line even more. The second point is important; the train situation isn't going to get better by people being selfish and gaining a few extra minutes at the expense of everyone else's.
More often than not, the "second train" strategy works wonders. I found that when it doesn't, I'd have to wait for multiple trains anyway. Maybe once in 7 years did I skip a train with room and get punished for it.
> In my estimation, shoving onto the train just wasn't worth it.
In my ~17 years of living in NYC, I've never found it to be worth it trying to squeeze myself onto a train. The ride itself is awful and literally you're at most saving a few minutes at the expense of a terrible, terrible experience in the car. The next train almost always has fewer people on the car, and if that's not the case, the one after that most certainly does.
[Edit: I've also been fortunate enough during my time here that I could always afford to be a few minutes later to my destination, that is not always the case amongst those who take the subway]
>The train situation isn't going to get better by people being selfish and gaining a few extra minutes at the expense of everyone else's.
Doesn't that pretty much sum up the New York experience though? If everyone could not block the intersection, stand back from the baggage claim, and wait their turn then life would be better for everyone.
In my estimation, shoving onto the train just wasn't worth it. It makes the ride much more miserable for people in the car, and it delays the line even more. The second point is important; the train situation isn't going to get better by people being selfish and gaining a few extra minutes at the expense of everyone else's.
More often than not, the "second train" strategy works wonders. I found that when it doesn't, I'd have to wait for multiple trains anyway. Maybe once in 7 years did I skip a train with room and get punished for it.