For years, busy MTA riders felt no need to waste their time eating breakfast in their home and instead chose to bring their breakfast with them on their subway ride. Unfortunately this convenient method of plowing down your breakfast may be outlawed due to a recently proposed bill that would ban the consumption of food on MTA subways.

The proposed bill has developed from current cases of rats making homes on subway trains. Searching up “rat on subway” on YouTube generates dozens of videos of rats scurrying about on New York City subways. The bill, proposed by Senator Bill Perkins of Manhattan, was pitched in hopes of decreasing the amount of rats on subways. The proposed bill includes a fine of $250 that will be imposed on anybody found eating during their ride on the New York City subway. The bill may or may not sound like a good idea, but the man known as the “rat czar”, MTA Chief Joseph Lhota, strictly opposes this bill. “I do not support this bill,” says Lhota, “it severely hurts and impacts minority communities. I don’t want to deny the kid the only time that day he’s going to get food.” Lhota’s opposition may actually come from his abhorrence of Senator Perkins, after claiming the legislator does “nothing but talk and talk and talk, and he does nothing.”

If this bill is passed it has potential to change the mornings of thousands of MTA riders. Many people have tight schedules and this would certainly damage their management of their time in the morning. Then again, the passing of the bill may also be able to decrease the level of rat infestations on subway cars, which would make riders feel comfortable and make the city transit look good all at the same time.