Sleeping On The Subways

After the end of a long day, it isn't surprising to see someone that fell asleep on one of the subway lines. The dozers probably missed their stop, but once awake they can turn around at the next stop and go home to their warm comfortable beds. Unfortunately that is not the case for many of New York's homeless.

A recent survey showed that over 1,600 people regularly sleep on the trains, a 30 percent increase from last year. That is a real problem for many different reasons. First off it is a danger for the homeless that are preyed upon by certain criminals. Secondly many of these overnight riders tend to oversleep, leaving a foul stench inside the cars. I can recall at least one time where I got on the subway in the morning, saw a relatively empty car to get into, only to find that the reason no one was in there was because of an over-powering odor coming from a guy sprawled out on a bench.

On the bright side, there was a decline in the total amount the homeless in city. Nevertheless, it is still a problem that must be addressed so that these less fortunate members of society can get the help they need.