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Rats turn MetroCard machines into hotels; also offer a discreet place to pee

LRG

By LRG,
in New York City Subway

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LRG

LRG 217

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Wily subway rats are turning MetroCard machines into their personal playpens.

 

Rodents are scurrying into the machines, building paper nests and leaving behind droppings for sickened repairmen to gag over, workers and union leaders say.

 

“That’s pretty disturbing,” said Gina Bonilla, 28, a straphanger from Woodhaven. “What’s going on with this city?”

 

On top of that, the machines offer a discreet place for people to urinate, leaving a scent so repugnant repairmen often have to stand back when they open the boxes. Workers say the foul odor is worse in stations where booth workers were removed as there’s no one to catch them in the act, including several Bronx stops along the D line.

 

At times, repairmen have resorted to throwing kitty litter in the machines to tame the scent, but that creates its own mess, said Pete Foley, a union leader for machine maintainers.

 

“They should be cleaned more often,” said Foley, who has harped on the issue for years. “It’s unsanitary, which makes us worried about disease.”

 

Rats get into the machines through holes for electric conduits or in their hollow bottoms, where they can squeeze through gaps on uneven station floors. Rodents have been spotted several hundred times over the years in the boxes, Foley said, as they love to hunker down in the warmth created by the machinery. They’ve also been found inside turnstiles. Cockroaches also crawl out of the boxes on occasion, workers say.

 

The union considers the filth a safety hazard, as repairmen claim they have gotten sick by rubbing their eyes after touching inside the machines. Earlier this year, MTA officials discussed sealing the machine bottoms with steel wool, which rats can’t chew through, according to transit records. The work has yet to get underway.

 

Union leaders could not gauge how many machines are infested.

 

NYC Transit spokesman Charles Seaton said rodents set up shop in the machines on “rare occasions,” and have only damaged the equipment a couple of times over the past 10 years. Customers are not exposed to the filth and the rats have never chewed on MetroCards, he said. If rat remains are detected, a worker will use a special vacuum to clean it up and the holes will be sealed, Seaton said.

 

As for the urinating, transit washes the area and sprays the machine with an “odor neutralizer” when it happens on occasion, a spokeswoman said.

 

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My reaction: *vomits*

 

This is pretty disturbing indeed. And we thought rats were an issue only in the tunnels but now they're effing up the machines??? Wow....

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LRG

LRG 217

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When there is garbage, there are rats. The more garbage bags lying around, particularly at the ends of station platforms, it's rats galore. And they'll take over the whole damn station if they have to.

 

This rat epidemic is a serious problem. It's a good thing though that someone (who will remain nameless) is no longer here to go off a tirade about the system's rat problem. Other systems have it too, ours may be worse but it's not like rats are chasing after humans and attacking us. When that happens, call me and I'll get the popcorn for my late night entertainment :P:cool:

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Roadcruiser1

Roadcruiser1 286

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If possible they should shut down part of the lines and spray them with rat poison so it kills the rats on that portion until they finish up with the whole line. Yes I have once seen a giant rat come out of the platform below and run to vomit on the other side and eat it and yes that did ruin my appetite :P

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MattTrain

MattTrain 3,120

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I am not surprised to hear about the rats infesting the machines, they'll infest pretty much anywhere that's warm or somewhere they can find a place for shelter that is warm. I wouldn't be surprised if they were infesting the abandoned station booths too.

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MattTrain

MattTrain 3,120

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Yeah maybe even more then the human world population. Maybe they might even have a Rat Country with their capital city in whatever station they want.:P

 

It happens in underground stations.

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LRG

LRG 217

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Anyway how much rats and other insects are down there anyway? Just guess we might never really know.:P

 

How many rats does it take to infiltrate the entire New York City Subway system??? The world may never know :cool:

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Roadcruiser1

Roadcruiser1 286

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Hey maybe if NYC ever gets rid of them NYC could sell the dead rats to third world nations. The (MTA) could call it beef and the (MTA) might get away with it. Kids won't be starving no more thanks to rats the size of chickens.:P

 

PS They do eat rats in some nations

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rr4567

rr4567 173

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Ewww......all those rats, crawling on the stuff inside. Now I'll know why I received a gnawed-on Metrocard.

 

Hey maybe if NYC ever gets rid of them NYC could sell the dead rats to third world nations. The (MTA) could call it beef and the (MTA) might get away with it. Kids won't be starving no more thanks to rats the size of chickens.:P

 

PS They do eat rats in some nations

 

MTA-brand .01% Chicken meat :P

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WMATA

WMATA 47

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Hey maybe if NYC ever gets rid of them NYC could sell the dead rats to third world nations. The (MTA) could call it beef and the (MTA) might get away with it. Kids won't be starving no more thanks to rats the size of chickens.:P

 

PS They do eat rats in some nations

 

Dude, that's just sick. :eek:

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Nova RTS 9147

Nova RTS 9147 79

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Whats the problem? These people who repair the machines are being pussies. Just throw some poison in the bottom of every machine and call it a done deal.

 

Would you work in rat shit and human piss at your job?

 

And I'm more disturbed that they machines are being used as urinals by people than the rats (although my mom does say rats come in all shapes and sizes).

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Messino

Messino 1

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Would you work in rat shit and human piss at your job?

 

And I'm more disturbed that they machines are being used as urinals by people than the rats (although my mom does say rats come in all shapes and sizes).

 

I've worked where dead rotting rats fell from the drop ceiling onto my head and got paid alot less than these guys do.. So I dont think opening a metrocard machine with a rats nest in it would be that bad. These guys can cry all they want, theyll be plenty of other people to fill their jobs if they cant stand it anymore. Like I said, just leave poison in the bottom and they wont come back alive. As the for the people urinating, thats a different story.. Maybe there should be low voltage electrified panels set down so when people piss they get a nice little harmless jolt of electricity. An you cant sue the city for that if your not really being harmed and urinating on their property..

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