How did NYC stop graffiti on trains?
In 1984 New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) began a five-year program to eradicate graffiti. By mid-1986 the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and the NYCTA were winning their “war on graffiti,” with the last graffitied train removed from service in 1989.
Do New York subways still have graffiti?
Graffiti’s presence in the subway system is still far from what it was when entire spray-painted trains became a symbol of a city in decline. In the 1970s and 80s, hundreds of millions of dollars were spent combating graffiti. But it still surfaces.
Are graffiti trains illegal?
Graffiti on freight trains has been around for years and continues to plague the railways and car owners. The codes were considered an early form of graffiti. This activity is illegal, dangerous and expensive! Since they are defacing private property, they have to trespass on railroad property.
What does the graffiti on trains mean?
“In order to put that on a railcar, somebody has to be trespassing on railroad property, which is dangerous and illegal.” The elaborate graffiti takes time to paint, meaning someone spent a lot of time at risk of serious injury, even death, among the tons of steel sitting on the tracks.
Why is there so much graffiti in New York?
Street art and graffiti in NYC was a product of the 1970s, when the city was bankrupt and crime was rampant. Growing up in that environment, kids from the Bronx and Brooklyn tagged subway cars and buildings even though it was illegal and dangerous.
What happens if you get caught spray painting a train?
Most graffiti crimes are charged as misdemeanors. City graffiti ordinances typically penalize people convicted of vandalism or graffiti spraying with a fine, though other sentences such as community service, probation and even jail sentences are possible as well.
Why do freight trains have so much graffiti?
In order to avoid what was almost becoming persecution in some neighborhoods, and for their artwork to be maintained for longer – as well as being able to see it travel across the United States – many graffiti artists turned to freight trains and left the subway, and the streets, behind.
Why are trains always covered in graffiti?
These are the cars’ identity. This information indicates who owns the train car, how much it can carry, its dimensions, maintenance data, and safety information. When covered by graffiti, railroad workers and shippers lose vital information, which can slow work, damage the car or even cause an accident.