Subway Riders Trample Courtesy Campaign

A campaign to get New York City subway riders to show some courtesy and step aside for fellow strap-hangers trying to get off the train has so far been greeted by a collective “Fuhgeddaboudit!”

“It don’t work,” huffed one conductor at the subway station under Grand Central station. “I’ve been here 13 years--it’s still chaos.”

After all, this is New York, a city too busy for common courtesy, where etiquette gets lost in the daily bump and grind of rush hour and the only rule for boarding trains appears to be: Every man for himself.

“STOP pushing me!” a woman yelled at a stranger behind her aboard the No. 1 train at Columbus Circle.

“I was just trying to get off!” he yelled back, stepping out and rushing on.

“Step Aside, Speed Your Ride,” reads the slogan on the transit agency’s posters. But even with 30 “etiquette officers” posted Monday morning at one express platform under Grand Central, the message appeared lost on thousands of commuters.

Passengers waiting to get aboard were told to stay clear of orange squares painted on the platform in front of each train door. Conductors in orange safety vests were assigned to each door to guide pedestrian traffic.

“Move all the way into the car!” the platform conductors yelled.

The idea is to get everyone on and off and the train moving in 45 seconds.

“Behavior modification . . . will help customers acclimate and alight,” said transit supervisor Anthony Carestia.

The transit agency will decide whether to apply the new subway etiquette to other major Manhattan stations--rudest ones first--after reviewing the results of the experiment.

College student Jennifer Waltrer pronounced the plan ridiculous.

“The problem is not on the platform, it’s the trains--they’re too crowded,” she said.