Commuter chaos reigns after strike

BY LAUREN JOHNSTON | STAFF WRITER

6:17 PM EST, December 20, 2005

Commuters heading home on the first day of a transit strike that brought subways and buses to a halt faced long lines as they tried to use the Long Island Rail Road this afternoon. But some got a happy surprise when they got free rides.

LIRR officials and police blocked off a major part of the entrance at 33rd Street and Seventh Avenue to force ticket buyers to form one line.

But some became frustrated as the line trailed through Penn Station and broke through. Police could be seen repairing the holes.

"It seems like you're packed in like rats," said Erica Myers, a legal coordinator from Bushwick, Brooklyn. "I'm trying to make light of it."

After getting onto the main floor of the station, commuters stood on long lines at ticket windows and machines. Once they achieved that goal, they had to fight their back outside and walk around to the Eighth Avenue entrance to Penn Station once again stand in line, this time for the trains.

But at about 6:05 p.m., LIRR officials decided to allow poeple to ride for free. However, some were unaware and remained in line, buying tickets.

Margorie Francois, who lives in Jamaica, Queens, said she spent five hours commuting to work this morning and this afternoon didn't look much better.

"We were looking for spouses because we thought we would never make it off," she joked.

The Cisco Systems employee said the strike would be a boost to her employer.

"We're going to be selling a whole lot of systems right now," she said of the technology firm. "People need to work from home."

But not all commuters were stressed. Rick Som of Rocky Point, L.I. drank a beer as he waited for the 5:52 p.m. Port Jefferson train.

"You do this everyday for years, you know exactly where to go," said the 52-year-old, who has a monthly pass. "It doesn't pay to get upset. What are you going to do?"

Som said he's only been commuting by train for four years. "I drove the Long Island Expressway for 28 years. This is nothing compared to bumper-to-bumper traffic."

Asked if he was planning to do this all week, he said he would consider his options.

"We'll see how tomorrow goes," he said. "If it gets more hairy, I'll just take a vacation day."

Commuter chaos also reigned this morning in all five boroughs, but just like Mayor Bloomberg told them to, the 7 million New Yorkers left stranded by a citywide transit strike got creative in their treks into Manhattan.

Hundreds trudged en masse across the city's bridges, bundled up to brave bitter cold temperatures in the low 20s. Bloomberg walked across the Brooklyn Bridge at about 7 a.m., heading to City Hall after spending the night in the Office of Emergency Management in Brooklyn.

"It will be difficult, but people are following our rules," the mayor said on the bridge. "People are walking ... people are taking bicycles and sharing cabs."

Later, Bloomberg railed against the union's strike, calling on the Transport Workers Union Local 100 to come back to work before negotiating a new contract.

"The problem is not negotiation for contract, The problem is there is an illegal strike going on."