Bloomfield's Daredevil Commuters

Want to make yourself think twice before doing that again? Imagine someone trying to explain to your kids that Mommy/Daddy won't ever be coming home again because it was soooo important that they catch that particular train.

When I was in college, my boyfriends mother was killed doing something like that. I can't impress upon you how devastating it was for him to know that his mother died in such an unnecessary way.

Calling Charles Darwin.

Some run with the bulls in Pamplona. Others go whitewater rafting. And still others dash for a commuter train.

Dare I suggest that all of these "experiences" may have a small something to do with the general lack of a communal experience that almost all young men used to undergo? It was called compulsory military service, and it was, in the end (anyway in peacetime), usually a hell of a lot safer than either running with those bulls or the extreme foolishness of the track jumping described above.

I witnessed a man trying to jump onto a train that was just pulling away from the station; he fell from the moving train and was crushed under its wheels. This happened in Hartsdale, NY, back in the '60s, when there were no platforms at the stations and the stairs to the train vestibules were usually left open. I later read that the man was retired from his company but was going into New York to attend a board meeting. There was another train scheduled less than 20 minutes later.

A moving train is bigger and stronger than you are. Chances are, if you try to outsmart it, you will not be victorious.

If the crossing gates are lowered, don't cross the tracks:
http://www.mta.info/lirr/pubs/video/Crossing.htm

If you *must* cross the tracks, do the following:
* Upon approaching the railroad crossing, proceed into the far right lane.
* Turn on the four-way flashers 300 feet before reaching the tracks the vehicle must stop behind the white line (if a line is present) and not in the path of the crossing barrier.
* Turn off heaters, fans, radios, etc. so that you can hear a train. If necessary, ask passengers to remain silent during the crossing.
* Open the door completely and listen for an approaching train or (if driving a van) open the window completely and listen.
* Look in both track directions as you listen for an approaching train.
* When you can conclude that no train is approaching, close the door (watching the door while it is closing) or window.
* Check your left mirror for traffic.
* Proceed slowly over the tracks to avoid damage to the vehicle.
* Turn off the four-way flashers after the bus is past the tracks.

I was alerted to this in the AM by a Clever Commuter alert, so I took Glenwood ave and avoided the surprise. Watched a good many folks doing the NJT sprint. Anyone have any idea how long this detour is in place?

People can run pretty fast when they want to, I saw one gal run right out of her shoes.

BTW, I took the 'short-cut' and as I did I kept thinking:

Not: "we're all gonna die, we're all gonna die"

But: "we're all gonna get arrested, we're gonna get yelled at..."

I bet this was for the 7:48....This would be stupid behavior under any scenario, but especially pathetic considering there is a Hoboken bound train that comes 6 minutes later that would allow you to get into the city via PATH.

sounds like a good way to cull the herd in arugala county

what do you have against arugula?

nothing...just think people doing stupid things are our chance to cull out the bad genes in the pool

I don't think one really has much to do with the other, cathar. Instead, it may have more to do with how some people's brains are wired to require more stimulation (through thrill-seeking, adrenaline-rushing activities) than others.

I believe recent resarch has shown that people who feel compelled to run with the bulls, paddle the rapids, and habitually play chicken with the choo-choo usually have lesser quantities of a certain type of neurotransmitter receptor in the brain; I think it was dopamine receptors but I'm not certain. The theory goes that folks with fewer receptors need higher levels of stimulation to acheive the same degree of pleasure as those with more receptors.

That being the case, I probably have an ample allotment of dopamine receptors. Riding the log flume at Great Adventure and driving in mid-town Manhattan are usually thrilling enough for me!

T'was only a suggestion, MellonBrush. And you're probably right.

But the "revolt of the middle-aged man" takes strange, modest form in Baristaville at even the best of times, no? It's kind of like those suburban ladies who imagine themselves Texas Guinan-like zanies because they use dirty words a lot in polite company.

Hey DARWIN AWARDS 2008 Contestants....
Please turn in your BRAIN ASAP.
You are obviously done using it.

Carry on.

Sorry, I meant Pork Roll!(And is your first name really Taylor?)

There should be awards for derring-do and cleverness. The other day the train stopped while my neighbor was standing on the opposite tracks. He crossed the tracks in full view of the engineer, then high-tailed it to the rear of the train so the conductors wouldn't be able to find him to kick him off. Huzzah!