A few weeks ago, the MTA settled a pending lawsuit concerning the Dyckman St. rehabilitation and the handicapped accessibility in Upper Manhattan. The authority agreed to install an elevator on one side of the station, and the settlement was a clear victory for advocates of the disabled subway riders in New York City. Still, the authority has a long way to go before the system is up to par.
A DNA Info article today highlights the challenges disabled riders face when the confront the subways. While it is a story we’ve heard before, it’s one that constantly serves as a reminder of the costs associated with Access-A-Ride and the progress the MTA must make. Right now, 73 of the 100 key stations that must be accessible by 2020 have been completed, and the remaining 27 have been planned for the currently capital plan and the next. Once the funding situation is addressed, these renovations will move forward.
The article itself showcases the other challenges. Even if stations are supposedly accessible, it’s still hard to get around. Chris Noel, a wheelchair-bound straphanger, took the reporter with him as he highlighted broken-down or offensively smelly elevators as well “steeply sloped walkways, gaps between platforms and trains and elevators that only access one platform.” Accessibility is improving but only ever so slowly.
6 comments
When it comes to the smelly elevators, THAT really can’t be blamed on the MTA. It has to be blamed on disgusting people who use the elevators as toilets.
You can blame the MTA and the NYPD for not coming up with a plan to deal with vagrants that use the elevators as a toilet.
1) CCTV cams should be in each elevator that are monitored by the currently useless overpaid station agent role or the NYPD.
2)The criminals should be fined, arrested or assigned community service to clean such elevators
If homeless are doing this, they should have to clean up after themselves.
We are already spending a fortune on station agents who are not very useful in their current role, lets close the booths and use the money and man power to reduce fare evasion and vandalism in out stations. Each station could still have at least one “eye’s and ears” of the system in it but now they will be a key partner in reducing crime, fare evasion and vandalism. The time has come 20 years too late in my opinion
Elevators are not designed to be a toilet.
Technicly the Dyckman station still won’t be ADA accessable since you cant travel in both directions from this location. Is there another station nearby that could be used as an alternitive in case the elevator is out of service?
I read somewhere the MTA & SEPTA were granted special accessability wavers, does anyone know what those wavers are? Also what’s the impact of said wavers.
The wavers were because of the cost of adding elevators to very old, underground station where room is just not possible to add elevators.
With that said what is the excuse of not adding elevators to brighton line local stops where 100% of the station concrete and steal structures were torn down. These station were not on the key lists of stations(the express stops were and are getting elevators) . The Ave U station in particular lies on an avenue connected by the B3 to 3 other no ADA station and AAR vans ride by constantly. At the very least the new station should have been made elevator ready when money is available.
The current system of Access a ride is still abused. To be AAR eligible you should have been a mass transit rider in the first place. Many seniors use it when they don’t want to drive or bother there children for a ride to the airport.
The taxpayers should not be liable for an individuals transportation needs. If you are elderly, can not take the train or bus to the doctor, do not have children that can help you, you should move near your doctor or into an assisted living community.
The failure to add elevators to the Brighton Line local stops is a plain and simple violation of the ADA requirement to add wheelchair access when making major renovations to a station.
The only exception in the ADA is where the cost is “unreasonable”, defined as more than 20% of the cost of the station — and there’s no way that applies to the Brighton Line stations. That applies to some of the difficult underground stations.
The “key stations” requirement does not have an “unreasonable cost” escape clause, but the MTA seems to be complying with that. The MTA is, however, openly and aggressively violating the “renovation” clause.
I know the truth about the waivers, jhaving looked into this.
The waivers were simply for how long MTA and SEPTA have to comply with the “key stations” requirement. Everyone else (Chicago, Boston, etc.) has to comply by, I think, 2012, and MTA and SEPTA have a *lot* longer.
There is no waiver for the “renovation” rule. MTA is just breaking the law there.