New York hit with transit strike at peak of holiday season

Subways and buses across the largest U.S. city shut down Tuesday as transit workers walked off the job, stranding more than 7 million daily riders and sending state lawyers into court demanding stiff fines against the &to=http://english.pravda.ru/comp/2003/01/21/42348.html' target=_blank>strikers.

The city survived the morning rush without the anticipated gridlock and widespread chaos as many commuters adapted to the absence of mass transit _ some by just staying home. The city's streets were unusually quiet.

"It doesn't seem right to tie up the cultural and investment center of the world," said Larry Scarinzi, 72, a retired engineer from New Jersey, waiting for a cab outside Penn Station, the city's busiest commuter hub. "They're breaking the law. They're tearing the heart out of the nation's economy."