Part of the reason is because people in New York treat public transit differently: at least in Manhattan, it's assumed that public transit is "just there", i.e. I don't have to time when I leave for the subway. This means I don't bother checking when the train is leaving, or planning my day around the subway, at all. I just assume, given I want to go somewhere, that how long it's going to take me is about the longest it's ever taken me so far.
In contrast, in Providence or Phoenix (or even when taking the train in NY), when using public transit, I make sure to time everything as well as possible, so that I minimize my wait times. Which means it's a lot more of a big deal when there are delays, because there aren't enough buses/trains to just take the next one available, and I end up waiting for the entire time of the delay.