NEW YORK CITY — If you want to make New Yorkers happy, just give them seats near the train door.
More than 7,000 DNAinfo New York readers have picked their favorite seat on the subway since last week, and we've already begun to notice some clear trends in seat preferences. We'll be back later with a full look at the data, including where New Yorkers choose to stand on a packed train.
But for now, we wanted to share some preliminary results.
When it comes to the dream subway scenario — first choice of seats on an empty train car — New Yorkers clearly prefer to sit near a door. It's not even close. Take a look at the results on the 3 train:
Or the 6 train:
Or the E train:
Of course, this isn't exactly surprising, since a seat next to the doors has the advantage of offering both a quick path off the car and means the rider will only have to sit next to one person. And the results do line up with a 2013 Transit Research Board study on seating preferences, which said "New York City customers had a clear preference for seats adjacent to doors."
As for the seat type that gets the least love, that would be the dreaded middle seat. In fact, on most lines, the standing spots were a more popular first choice. That's right, even on an empty car, New Yorkers would rather stand than sit in a middle seat.
Keep an eye out for our full results. But for now, if you haven't picked out your favorite seat, click the button below and get started.
