It’s been a while since anyone used a pay phone. It’s been longer since SNET removed the phone from this Merritt Parkway Exit 42 commuter booth.
In fact, who even remembers SNET? It’s now part of Frontier.
So Frontier, if you’re listening: You bought this eyesore. Please be a good neighbor, and haul it away.
(Photo/Bill Dedman)
While I have embraced the inevitability of the cell phone that doesn’t mean I have to like it. We continue to sacrifice privacy for convenience. I am as guilty as the next person. Still nice to remember when we were so young and innocent.
Southern New England Telephone. I’ve used that phone back when it was functional.
I also have memories of the Texaco gas station on riverside where the ice cream shop is today. The sign is still visible.
Bought gas there many times.
Yes it’s a disgrace Frontier never removed that skeleton of a payphone, but our horrific CT DOT shares some of the responsibility for being such a bad steward of these commuter lots.
Up until quite recently there was a sign near the exit indicating there was a phone present. Imagine the poor folks who had an emergency (assuming no operable cellphone), and wasted precious minutes coming off the exit, only to find the payphone wasn’t there. (But a large pile of trash routinely is!)
A few years ago the parking lot lights were allowed to burn out and weren’t replaced for many months; over a year, I think. It was obviously an unsafe situation, and I believe one of the Navin murders took place in that lot during that period.
If I lived adjacent to that lot, I would petition the state to put some security cameras there — otherwise close it down,
NO… LEAVE IT…. It’s an antique and worth a fortune 🙂
If they take it down, where will Superman change?
It could be worse.
Try living next to a Frontier facility.
This company has raised deferred maintenance to an art form.
Every single thing that could be crumbling, rotting, peeling, burning out or falling down – is.
It’s like the last days of East Germany. Without the charm.
100 years from now you’ll be able to fetch a $100,000,000 million dollars for that at an auction.
bring your cell phone there and make calls,
SNET – Bridgeport Hydraulic – Standard Oil – Enron. I miss the days when companies’ names made it clear what they were in business to do. The emphasis was on performance as opposed to “branding.” Having spent my career in B2B marketing I have regretfully aided and abetted this state of affairs.
I argue that there’s still a place for these. Especially in areas of poor cell service, or after storms which are bad enough to knock out cell service. Why not replace it with a little booth where you can charge your phone/iPad/laptop, but that includes a phone for emergencies where yours doesn’t work?