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MTA Chief Jay Walder Rejects Food & Drink Ban In Subways

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Eat, drink, and take the subway New York.

Metropolitan Transit Authority Chairman Jay Walder has nixed the idea of banning food and drink in the subway.

MTA board member Charles Moerdler floated the idea after a number of recent videos surfaced showing food fights and vermin on trains. Fellow board member Doreen Frasca reportedly called it a "swell idea."

Walder said "I'm not sure a ban on food is really practical or enforceable."

Food is also blamed for attracting rats and other critters. Litter from the food is blamed for causing fires.

The MTA carts some 90 tons of trash from the subway system each day. Not surprising, since it also handles some five million riders daily.

As of now, the agency encourages riders not to eat or drink on subways or station platforms, but the practice is not illegal.

A recent brawl on a Brooklyn train started over a teenage girl eating spaghetti from a plastic foam container.

WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE

Pigeons, dogs, and rats are all fans of the largest subway system in the country.

Sometimes they're found on subway platforms, in subway cars, and even on fellow passengers.

Back in January, video uploaded to YouTube showed a rat running down a subway car and climbing onto the seats before climbing up to a sleeping rider's face.

 

WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE

Rat wakes up Homeless man by Eckzavier on YouTube

What do you think about eating on the subway? Leave a comment below…


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