Booze ban on the suburban

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: AH! NEW YORK, the city that doesn’t sleep. Nor does it smoke; puffing in bars, restaurants and other public places is prohibited. It can’t talk on mobile phones in cars or in schools. It soon won’t be allowed to eat what it wants because the city’s Board of Health recently voted to ban artificial trans fats in most city restaurants. And now alcohol may be banned on its commuter trains.

Last month Mitchell Pally, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) board member, proposed a ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol on the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) and on Metro North, which connects New York City to its northern suburbs in New York and Connecticut. Mr Pally is worried that tipsy commuters drive home after drinking on the train. Peter Kalikow, the MTA’s head, agreed, saying he wanted to “severely limit” passengers from buying or drinking alcohol. The MTA has duly formed a task force to consider the proposal. It will also consider a possible ban against passengers bringing their own alcoholic refreshments onboard.

Although alcohol is already banned on St Patrick’s Day and New Year’s Eve, outright prohibition would be difficult to enforce. Alcohol is readily available in some station bars. Besides, most commuters consider the trains’ bar carts a much-needed amenity to help unwind after a stressful day. Critics argue that no car accident has ever been directly connected to drinking on the train. Some even think that people should be responsible for their own behaviour.

If the task force recommends a ban, there’s still hope for commuters longing for a cocktail. The entire MTA board would have to approve the measure, which would take time. Besides, the Connecticut authorities see nothing wrong with making commuting more tolerable by raising a glass. They may be able to continue selling booze even if New York lines have to stop.

The task force, made up of board members and railway employees, will report back to the MTA board in the spring. In the meantime, tipplers can find out which train has bar-car service by looking for the martini-glass icon on the timetable.

Now if only the MTA would do something about the recent revelation that a lot of delays on the subway are caused by sick passengers, many of them glucose-starved dieters.