7.17.2005

New York's Response to the London Bombings

In the wake of the terrorist bombings of the London Metro, NY has reacted with an all out security blitz that includes armed military personnel in a lot of the subway stations in the city, bomb sniffing dogs all over the place, radiation detectors (actually they were placed all over Grand Central about a month before the London bombings, but have now expanded in coverage) all over, a shutdown of cell phone service in the 4 tunnels that go into Manhattan (Brooklyn Battery, Holland, Lincoln, Queens Midtown), and police officers on every car of every subway train in the city during peak periods (rush hours). There are also MTA police and armed military with bomb sniffing dogs in White Plains Station (Metro-North Commuter RR), in White Plains where my office is located.

Now not for nothing, but I doubt that bombers would go after a train station in White Plains. It is about a half hour north of Grand Central by express train and is on the outskirts of a very small city. If they wanted to cripple that railroad they should bomb 125th Street-Harlem Station. Every single Metro-North train goes through there on its way in or out of Manhattan.

The Metro North RR is the main method of transportation used by around 6 million people every month to go in and out of NYC from the east side of the Hudson River (NY and CT).

Going after the bridges, tunnels, subway, commuter trains (LIRR & MNRR), ferries, landmarks, and ports (both air and sea) is an obvious target. Going after something more under the radar, like the MNRR station in Harlem would be easy.

The PATH Train has already been hit with the bombing of the WTC, the bridges and tunnels are on lockdown, and the airports are allegedly impossible to get throught with a bomb.

I see no security in Harlem Station when I get off there on Wednesday afternoons, around 5:30, to go to my pool league at Amsterdam Billiards. Is it because it is not as important, i.e. wealthy, enough as midtown is? Is it because this is something that they, the MTA, are oblivious to? I don't get it. Hopefully someone in that giant beaurocracy mislabeled as a privately held, state-subsidized company will read this and wake up. It is a real threat.

I understand that they have to have a strong, visible, mobile security force throughout the city in areas that are considered "high value targets," but they also need to make sure that they keep the back door locked, meaning...no way for the terrorists to sneak an attack in what is considered a less valuable target, but is in reality the highest value target in the entire city. Without tracks through that station, Grand Central is rendered useless. People from Connecticut and Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess counties have no trains into the city and will be forced to drive on already overcrowded highways on that side of the river...food for thought is it not?

In a bit of good news, all the people I know who live in London, including my Aunt who lives right near King's Cross Station, are ok. My friend who lives up in Birmingham is also ok after what happened with the evacuations up there also. Everyone is fine. My aunt was actually in New Jersey visiting my grandmother when the bombs all went off.

I always listen to Virgin Radio at work. That day I had no clue the bombs went off until I loaded the stream online and started hearing all of the accounts, emergency bulletins, news, etc. It freaked me out a lot because it reminded me of how all the radio stations here in NY were when 9/11 happened. It was eerie. Those poor people all died for no reason. Such a god damn shame.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home