What brings you the most stress? Work? Kids? In-laws? Want the most stress? Take the subway.

Whether riding the good old iron horse starts my day off on the wrong foot or ruins a perfectly good day at the end of the day – like it did today – the subway is by far the true Bane of my existence. Besides the fact that the trains are never on time, they smell like the bottom of a person’s foot, and they are cold in the winter and hot in the summer – its the eclectic collection of people that ride the subways that truly make being a straphanger stressful.

From the dozens of unapologetic people who hit you with their bags to the people that walk so slow down the stairs that you helplessly watch your train pull away as they leisurely make their way down the stairs – to my personal favorite – the people who try to squeeze into the three inches of space next to you that they consider to be a seat – the subways can certainly be classified as a stress enhancer.

Take today for instance. I had a good day at work and proceeded to make my way down the stairs into the subway when I wind up behind a woman who is walking so slow that my brisk walk is now reduced to a snail’s pace. If that’s not bad enough, I make it past the slow moving woman and see my train with the doors still open and realize that if I get through the turnstile and down the stairs, I can get the train before it pulls away – but the people exiting the turnstiles won’t let me through. Instead, they fire this annoying stare at me because I have the audacity to want to get on the train before it leaves the station and just keep coming through the turnstiles. Not one of the dozens of people that passed me by had the courtesy to let me through to make my train. So of course – I missed the train.

Then, when I get on the next train, it is travelling in a tunnel between stations when it abruptly stops. The conductor informs us that we are being held by a red signal and that we should be moving shortly. He then thanks us for our cooperation – what cooperation? What can I do – get out and push? Walk to the next station? I have no choice but to sit on this train until it moves – so how is that cooperation?

So between the people on the trains and the trains themselves – the MTA should pay us $1.50 to ride the subways.