每日跟讀#639: How Subway Delays and the Homeless Crisis Are Intertwined

After years of decline, New York’s subway is showing signs of improvement, with the percentage of trains running on time creeping upward.

紐約地鐵在連續退步多年後，出現品質改善的跡象，列車準點率逐步提升。

But at least one area is getting worse: disruptions involving homeless people.

不過，至少有一個方面變得更糟：與街友相關的列車運行中斷。

Trains were delayed 659 times last year by homeless people walking on tracks, blocking train doors and engaging in other unruly behavior — a 54% increase from the 428 such delays in 2014, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the subway.

經營紐約地鐵的大都會運輸署資料顯示，去年因為街友走在地鐵軌道上、阻擋車門關閉等違規行為，導致列車誤點659次，與2014年為同類原因誤點的次數428次相比，增加54%。

And the disruptions have continued to escalate this year, with 313 train delays in the first three months.

而列車運行中斷的次數，今年繼續增加，一到三月列車共延誤313次。

“It’s a real challenge, and a growing challenge, and that’s consistent with the broader challenge in the city,” said Andy Byford, the official who oversees the subway. “We’re just not equipped to deal with this on our own.”

監管紐約地鐵的官員白福德說：「這是真正的挑戰，愈來愈難應付，而且與紐約這城市更大的問題有關。單憑我們自己不足以解決這個問題。」

Though the subway has long been a refuge for those with nowhere to go, transit officials and riders said they were seeing more homeless people on the subway as the city struggled to address an intractable homeless crisis.

雖然紐約地鐵一直是無家可歸者棲身之處，不過，在紐約竭力處理棘手的街友問題之際，運輸官員和乘客都說，他們發現地鐵裡的街友更多了。

New York has opened 23 new homeless shelters since 2017 and has 20 more in development. It has poured more than $80 million since 2014 into new centers, outreach programs and specialized services specifically aimed at homeless people on the street, including the creation of a database that helps outreach workers identify and track individuals by name.

2017年起，紐約新設23間街友收容所，另外還有20間正在興建。2014年起，紐約斥資8000多萬美元新設街友中心、推行外展服務和特別針對街友的專業服務，包括建立資料庫，以幫助外展服務人員用姓名辨認並追蹤個別街友。

It has also taken more punitive steps. Police officers have handed out a flurry of civil summonses to try to clamp down on disruptive behavior on the subway. Currently, 1,600 to 1,800 summonses per week are issued for prohibited transit conduct — including jumping turnstiles, stretching out in subways cars and on platforms, smoking and drinking alcohol — which is about 16% more than in 2016, according to police officials.

紐約還採取更多懲罰措施。員警一下子發送多張民事傳票，企圖遏制街友擾亂地鐵秩序的行為。目前，法院每周為街友在地鐵裡的違禁行為發出1600到1800張傳票，包括跳過旋轉閘門、躺在車廂或月台上、吸菸和飲酒。警方資料顯示，這類行為發生的次數比2016年增加了約16%。

But it has not been enough. Earlier this year, Mayor Bill de Blasio vowed to crack down on homeless people camped out in the subways. About 58,000 people live in city shelters and an additional 3,800 are on the streets and in the subway.

但這些懲罰措施還不夠。今年稍早，紐約市長白思豪宣告要打擊街友在地鐵裡打地鋪的行為。紐約收容所裡的街友約有5萬8000人，另外還有3800人露宿街頭或以地鐵為家。

Now, city and transit officials are ratcheting up their efforts with a new program aimed at persuading homeless people to leave the subway by offering to waive a civil summons if they agree to go with outreach workers who can offer a variety of services, such as a bed in a shelter or medical treatment.

現在市府和運輸官員都加緊努力推動新計畫，目標是說服街友離開地鐵，方法是當局主動提出願意撤銷民事傳票，條件是街友要同意跟著外展服務人員走。這些服務人員能提供多種服務，如收容所裡的床位或醫療照護。

Summonses carry a fine varying from $25 to $100, including $100 for fare evasion, $75 for moving between subway cars and $50 for obstructing seats.

傳票附帶罰款，從25美元到100美元不等，包括逃票要罰100美元，在車廂之間任意走動罰75美元，占用座位罰50美元。

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/342183/web/#2L-15113439L