Waiting at a bus stop in a cascade of snow. Inching along in stop-and-go traffic. Cramming into a commuter van alongside other passengers.

These are the experiences of living in New York City when a subway line is out of reach.

While the city is heralded for operating one of the world’s most expansive networks of subway lines, there are many neighborhoods — and many New Yorkers — that do not benefit from this rapid mode of transportation.

For those who live in the huge swaths of the city that the subway does not serve, getting around can be a time-consuming and stressful slog, involving long bus rides, multiple transfers and a large reserve of patience or a good playlist or book to endure an hour or more in transit. Beyond the inconvenience, a lack of easy access to a subway line has more serious social consequences, helping contribute to economic inequality.

With neighborhoods in Brooklyn along the L line — among the city’s busiest subway routes — in anguish over losing their train to Manhattan for 18 months, New Yorkers living in so-called subway deserts have a message: Welcome to the club.