Fears Don't Stop Commuters

Following the recent terror scare in Times Square, commuters and day-trippers alike are staying vigilant — but they’re not going to stop going about their lives. That was the general consensus among travelers headed for Grand Central at Darien’s train station, just three days after a minor scare at the same station and a day after President Barack Obama announced he would cut New York’s mass transit and port security funding by $42 million from last year.

Lawmakers expected the cuts for a while, but many people were upset that the president did not change his mind after the attempt in Times Square May 3. “Obviously, I’m not for [the cuts], given the sensitivity and what the city’s going though since 9/11, and its vital organs to the financial system,” said Jamie Lineberger, an occasional commuter from Darien. Still, he was not deterred by the recent scares. “You’ve got to live your life,” he said. “You’ve got to go in and do what you’ve got to do.”

George Blauvelt, a commuter from New Canaan, said he understood Obama’s decision. “I think the president’s doing a pretty good job,” Blauvelt said. “He’s faced with some tough choices.” Still, he hoped that funding to the city would increase when more is distributed later this summer.

Gail Schulze of New Canaan was also upset by the timing of the cuts, especially to New York’s transit system. “I think they need more security on the subway,” said. “[In Philadelphia,] you can’t even get down to the tracks unless you go through security. They don’t do one darn thing at Grand Central.”

Darien had a transit scare of its own Monday, when a resident reported an unattended black duffel bag near the train station. Police brought in K-9 and bomb detection units to investigate, but soon found the bag was just a false alarm. “See something, say something,” said former Wilton Police Commissioner Bo Mitchell. “That’s the first thing people have to be worried about. They have to stay alert.”

Mitchell was traveling into the city Thursday on business for his company, 911 consulting. Since 2001, he has been helping companies develop emergency evacuation plans, which he said are just as important as vigilance in these times. He urged all employers and employees to make sure their offices have proper emergency plans. “When you ask an employer if they have a plan, often the answer, ‘Yes,’” Mitchell said. “But they have nothing that stands up to a federal agency like OSHA, or a lawsuit if something happens."

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