17 Simple And Cheap Ways To Make NYC's Subways A Lot Better

Randy Gregory II

There are a lot of ways to make New York City's subway system better. More lines. Cleaner, faster, more high-tech trains. Lower fares. WiFi everywhere.

All of that, however, would cost a lot of money - and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority doesn't have much cash on hand.

But there are ways to make things nicer without heavy spending.

Randy Gregory II proved that with his "100 Improvements to the New York Subway" project, which he created over 100 days as an assignment for his Masters in Branding program at the School of Visual Arts.

We got to see all 100 ideas at a one-night exhibition organized by the Riders Alliance, a grassroots organization of NYC subway and bus riders.

From the 100 ideas, we've picked out 17 that are especially impressive because they would make the experience of using the subway more pleasant and easier to navigate. And none of them would cost much money at all.

With Gregory's permission, we've republished them here, using his images and words.

Buckets of paint, more posters, helpful signs, and slight tweaks to station and train design could all make our subways a little better. Here's how.