NJ Transit Rider is looking for hidden cars only; NYC Subway Mask Mandate Holds – NBC New York

You’ve heard of NJ Transit’s “silent car”. How about one for face masks?

A number of commuters who use the rails to get to and from work — or elsewhere — every day say NJ Transit should make at least one car available only to people who still want to wear face masks on board for COVID safety reasons.

NJ Transit was among a number of agencies that made masks optional last week after a federal judge in Florida struck down the nationwide federal travel mask ordinance.

A Change.org petition started two days ago asks NJ Transit to create a face mask car special similar to its designated quiet cars. Quiet cars are available on all trains arriving or departing from Penn Station in New York and Newark, as well as Hoboken, during high-volume transit hours (6 a.m. to 8 p.m. in most cases).

This program began over a decade ago.

A commuter advocate and NJ Transit driver named Adam Reich started the Change.org petition but has been pushing for mask-only cars for weeks.

“It would comfort people with health issues, and it would reflect the quiet car, having only one car,” Reich, who uses the Northeast Corridor line, said. says NJ.com.

Specifically, his new Change.org petition asks NJ Transit to “designate at least one car on each train as a ‘masked car,’ to maximize the safety and comfort of passengers who wish to wear a mask in the presence of other passengers. .which will also be masked at all times.Riders who do not wish to wear a mask may ride in any of the other cars on board.

This mask-only car would require passengers and staff serving it to properly wear face coverings at all times, Reich proposes. Eating and drinking would be prohibited on these cars. Masked drivers could still choose any other car to sit in, while unmasked drivers could also be easily directed to another car, Reich says.

Signs placed in each masked car would explain the rules and enforcement could be dealt with in the same way as disorderly driving issues, he suggested.

Only about 30 people had signed the Change.org petition for mask-only cars as of noon on Tuesday, but the proposal is also circulating on social media. NJ.com also reported that at least one board member has asked NJ Transit staff to report on the feasibility of adopting a mask-only car model.

So is this being considered by NJ Transit?

An email request for comment was not immediately returned on Tuesday, but an official said NJ Transit reviewed the proposal and decided it would be a nightmare to implement because it essentially adds two more quiet cars to each train. .

While NJ Transit immediately transitioned to a mask-optional model after last week’s ruling, other local transit agencies are holding firm, including the MTA.

Find out how New York City Transit and the MTA, as well as the Port Authority, PATH, taxis and ride-sharing companies responded to the judge’s overturning of the national warrant here.

In making her ruling last week, the Tampa judge said the agencies seeking to implement her were exceeding their federal authority in doing so. She also said the CDC did not follow proper regulatory protocol when it announced its plans.

The Department of Justice is appealing the decision at the request of the CDC.

Many travelers rejoiced when mask mandates were abruptly lifted on planes and other transportation systems across the country by a federal judge on Monday. But don’t leave that mask at home when traveling just yet, advises Dr. John Torres.