By: Rusty Brooks
Anyone who has ever been to a major sporting event knows just how difficult dealing with the large crowds can be. One gentleman who works at the US Open, has become famous for his skills in managing pedestrian traffic flow before, during, and after matches.
MTA traffic checker Tremayne Cradle — whose job title includes helping straphangers get where they need to go — has become a fixture at the Mets-Willets Point subway station for the two loud and busy weeks during the event.
“This is showtime,” Cradle told The New York Post. “I love doing the bullhorn. I love seeing people and directing the traffic. This is a lot of fun.”
Cradle, a Bronx-born resident living in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, has mastered the art of the bullhorn and herding human “cattle”.
He’s crafted the rallying cry for subway riders and pedestrians trying to find their way between the busy playoff-like baseball action and Arthur Ashe stadium for tennis action
“Tennis! Baseball! Tennis! Baseball!’’ Cradle shouts through his bullhorn.
Cradle has spent 22 years with the MTA as a traffic checker. Working in Queens between 13 stations from Court Square to Jamaica, his usual duties include counting riders on the buses and subways, installing updated maps at stations about service changes and other customer-service needs, NY Post reports.
He said it’s a great job for the benefits and being able to see different people each day.
Kyle Schnitzer of The New York Post writes during the first week of the tennis madness, the Mets and Dodgers also opened up a pivotal three-game series that felt like October baseball on Aug. 30. The Mets are in a pennant race with the Atlanta Braves, and attendance for pivotal August and September games are up.
“Out here, people can’t really hear you because of the trains or planes,” he said. “Once you lose your voice, you’re no good. So I said, ‘Give me the bullhorn!’ which made it easier.”
This year’s US open saw record crowds hoping to watch Serena Williams play one last time before retiring.
Fellow MTA travel checker Delano Gibbs, 26, who also works a bullhorn at the stairs descending toward Citi Field, told the Post nobody beats Cradle at his job.
When the US Open concludes, Cradle said, he’ll return to his normal duties as a travel checker. It is quite rare that both Citi Field and the tennis complex are both used simultaneously.
While Arthur Ashe has a large capacity of over 24,000, the stadium is rarely used outside the US Open, however last fall a large pro wrestling event for All Elite Wrestling was held. The promotion broadcast 2 hours of wresting action live on national TV on TBS and drew over 20,000 spectators.
