New Yorkers are the first to complain about its subway system, but we're also the first to defend it.
After the Yankees forced a Game 5 following their first win against the LA Dodgers in the World Series, a local TV news reporter from Los Angeles sparked an online debate between the two cities --- but it had nothing to do with baseball.
KTLA reporter Eric Spillman tweeted a video early Wednesday showing the 161 St-Yankee Stadium subway station platform and a large group of ballpark goers waiting by tightly packed train cars. It's a normal sight for most New Yorkers, but it's what Spillman said that likely brought attention to the video, which had 2.4 million views by the late afternoon.
"People complain about traffic at Dodger stadium. This is way worse," the veteran reporter wrote alongside the video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
People complain about traffic at Dodger stadium. This is way worse. pic.twitter.com/wHhgC0Btde
— eric spillman (@ericspillman) October 29, 2024
Spillman's comment was swiftly met with defenses from subway riders and even from people who are Los Angelenos.
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Several replies pointed out a few reasons that the New York City subway is better than LA traffic, including the fact that there will be another train coming in a few minutes and that one subway ride costs just $2.90. The MTA also said it added extra service for the World Series games.
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"I've gone to both ball parks," one person said in response. "I was able to get out of Yankee Stadium and on a train in just a few minutes and back to my hotel in 20 minutes. It took me an 1.5 hours to get to my hotel from Dodger stadium."
The discussion on X also got attention from New York City's Department of Transportation. Its official X account, @NYC_DOT, responded to Spillman's video with an AI-generated image showing "massive highways choked with vehicle traffic in a dense urban area."
"ai imagines what nyc could look like with la-style transportation," the DOT's tweet read.
ai imagines what nyc could look like with la-style transportation https://t.co/qttj3xmgCw pic.twitter.com/KrNXOMzYq5
— NYC DOT (@NYC_DOT) October 30, 2024
Los Angeles is infamous for its traffic, but many people came to Spillman's defense with their own rationales against New York City's subways.
Their main argument is that sitting in an air-conditioned vehicle is more comfortable than being packed like "sardines in a can" on the subway. Several people noted that they can listen to their own music or podcast in their car. It's unclear if they're aware that is also possible on public transit.
New York City is also no stranger to traffic. In January, a report found that the Big Apple had the worst traffic in the United States in 2023. Meanwhile, LA ranked ninth.
Despite every individual's preferred mode of transportation, there are pros and cons to both. The MTA has its own lists of issues such as accessibility and degrading infrastructures. Idling vehicles waste gas, which is costly, and pollute the air we breathe.
Yankees and Dodgers fans may not agree on baseball, but perhaps, they can agree that both cities need better infrastructure to support their massive population.
