”Clearly it is a major achievement,” Mr. Russianoff said. ”But do riders care more that service is unreliable on most lines? The answer is yes. I think the Transit Authority deserves a pat on the back and maybe a cigar, but I don’t think they deserve canonization.”

Gene Russianoff has been saying the same thing for nearly 20 years now. I wonder if he gets tired of it.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/f.....wanted=all

it’s from 1989 when they cleaned the subway stations and trains of graffiti for good. it’s interesting to read because there were actually some people who were critical of the project saying it could be budgeted towards more important things. now it’s 20 years later and I’d say it was definitely a good investment.

I’d actually been working on this piece for about three weeks. I spoke to the Arts for Transit reps in mid-December, but my law school finals led me to be scooped by The Times, sadly.

Thanks for posting all the supplementary information.