High Exit Entrance Turnstiles can prove daunting for the uninitiated. (Photo by flickr user Triborough)
As unstaffed station entrances proliferate across the subway system, the 21st century version of the MTA’s iron maiden turnstiles have become the norm around the city. These high entrance/exit turnstiles significantly slow down loading and unloading times at fare control areas, but they effectively combat turnstile jumpers in areas where station agents once roamed. They can, however, prove tricky.
It’s probably happens more often than anyone — not the MTA, not the so-called victims — want to admit, but the HEETs are designed such that it’s very very easy to get it wrong. Swipe a MetroCard, enter into the part at right that’s already begun is whirl around the turnstile. Those who swipe and push the gate that’s sticking out will find themselves stuck on the wrong side of the fare gate with less money — or an 18-minute freeze-out period — on their MetroCards. Consider it a New York subway initiation.
In his column in the Daily News on Monday, Pete Donohue tackles the prickly subject of the HEETs. This subway faux pas, he says, happens very frequently, and among transit workers, the HEETs have earned themselves the reputation of a fare thief. “These are the biggest robbers down here,” one worker said.
Donohue tracked down workers willing to talk, off the record, of the woes they see when it comes to the HEETs. “It happens all the time,” a turnstile repairman said to the News. “Most of the time it’s tourists, but sometimes it even happens to people who live here. Nobody knows. There’s no signs or information.”
Tourists from London where turnstiles rely on the tried-and-true tap-and-go system fall for it; natives from Westchester fall for it; even everyday businessmen in a hurry sometimes take a wrong first step. “If you don’t know what you’re doing,” one suburban visitor said, “you’re going to get screwed.”
For now, the HEETs will continue to pop up across the system. The MTA plans to pay $2.3 million to install 41 more of these turnstiles around the city, and as they can be reprogrammed to take a contactless card, they should survive the death of the MetroCard too.
But the HEETs are a problem. They’re clunky and slow. It takes a decent amount of force to push the door open and an equally strong effort to exit through it. Lines form at stations — the 7th Ave. exit at the 7th Ave. stop on the IND Culver line, for instance — as exiting passengers wait for the door to swing by. It might stop a few fare beaters, but it also stops harried and hurried New Yorkers.
The HEETs, though, aren’t going anywhere as long as station agents continue to disappear, and yet, the fix for them is so simple. If the MTA were to place floor decals with arrows leading into the HEET or a small sign at eye level on the MetroCard reader display, straphangers would find the iron maiden less daunting, and fares would cease to disappear. A small act of customer service can go a long way toward making the system more user-friendly for everyone.
19 comments
Is it really that hard to properly enter a HEET? The label on top has an arrow pointing down at the right side for proper entry. Am I missing something here?
No one reads MTA signs that aren’t directly thrust in your face. Because those signs are around 7 feet high, it’s not in the direct line of site at the point of swipe. Plus, the arrows are really small too.
Wait, you mean people riding the subway aren’t all NBA players? Yeah, I see your point.
Speaking of HEET issues, this has happened to me a few times – let’s say there’s a line to enter the HEET:
the person in front of me enters,
I swipe, thus using/subtracting my fare,
the person in front of me swings the gate a second time because it’s just force of habit to push hard on it,
my fare has just been used by the guy in front of me by swinging the gate a second time before I can enter, thus wasting my fare.
I’ve been lucky that the station agents at Steinway St and 8th St (N/R) were understanding enough to let me in though I had to shlep all the way back to the entrance on the opposite end of the station. I’m just curious if this is a common occurrence or just my bad luck.
The trick is to place your hand on the HEET directly behind the person in front of you before swiping. Then you’re ready to push, and you don’t have to worry that it will wobble your fare away. No, there’s no need to wait until the person in front of you has completed his or her entry before swiping.
The most common problem I’ve seen is tourists pushing the HEET from one rung back.
I guess placing my hand on the HEET is the best way to go. It hasn’t happened to me so often that I worry about it which is probably what left me susceptible the few times it has.
Oh, and Gary Reilly, I added my last name to my commenter name – I hope you’re happy! 🙂
Actually, in the latest round of unstaffings, the low turnstiles were not removed. It appears that NYCT is now willing to have unstaffed low turnstiles.
One would hope that, in light of this policy change, many of the existing HEET’s would be replaced with low turnstiles, but I haven’t seen any evidence of that happening. I wonder where the 41 new HEET’s are going.
One of my biggest gripes is the position of the card reader/display versus the gate. If you’re told to “Swipe Card Again” or if you have an “Insufficient Fare”, you don’t know until the bar doesn’t move, because you’ve already passed the display and need to take a step back. After you attempt to push the bar, the person behind may have already swiped their card, possibly wasting their own fare on you.
Gary, would you mind adding a last name or initial? I’ve been commenting here as “Gary” for years.
Thanks.
Ok- how come no one has mentioned that some HEETs have huge stickers on the ground with clear instructions on how to enter? It would be great if someone could upload one and use it in an article. I think those should be installed below busy HEETs.
A few weeks ago when I tried to enter the subway at 34th & 7th the HEET remained locked after I swiped. I went across the street & the turnstyle there refused entry. The same thing happened to the two friends who were with me at the time. As a result, we all went under the limbo bar as it were. After all we already payed the fare & there wasn’t an agent who could help us, so we did the next best thing.
One of the worst-designed things in the subway. Everything about the HEET seems purposefully designed to stymy people. Why is the fare collection screen so low and to the right? Why is there no clear indiciation of where to enter? Why are they so hard to push?
The key is waiting until it’s all clear upon entry. Then swipe card, wait for big, green light that says ‘Go’ whilst hearing the pronounced release sound, walk in and push.
I find these easier than the turnstiles where the beep can mean both entry and significant thigh bruises. And there is no big, green light. you have to squint and read the tiny, DOS based text from 1981 all the way down by your waist.
With the HEET, you hear it unlock.
What I can’t stand about them usually occurs towards the expiration of my monthly unlimited. Having used the card for almost 30 days, it gets worn and induces that dreaded “swipe card again” signal, which I do until the machine tells me that I “just swiped.” Normally at this point, if there is no station agent to help me out, I’ll jump the turnstyle or ask someone nice enough to open the emergency exit for me, but with these $56,000 novelties, I get b.s.’d out of 18 minutes of life.
Long lines at the HEET exits are no problem when you open the “Emergency” exit gate.
And risk getting a $100 fine.
If during rush hour, I suggest splitting it amongst the throngs of other law breakers. Only $5 per person per train! 😀
Really? I’ve never had a problem with them, and I am not a lifetime New Yorker… There is a huge arrow pointing to where to enter, and if you watch oh…I don’t know… one person do it, its pretty easy to figure out. That and its just logical, keep walking straight from where you swiped your card. Why would you cut back to the left?
To be honest, I’m outright afraid of HEETs. The ends of the curved metal bars, even though they are less boxy then the older rectangular bars, still seem like they could poke my eye out!!!
Most everyone’s comments are some variation on “if you know what to do there’s no problem with the HEETs.” Well, THAT’S the problem! It should not be something that only those who already know what to do can do. The biggest flaw is not knowing which arm to push – it is counter-intuitive to have to push the bar that is already in the “box” (I don’t know what to call it). As experienced as I am, I always want to start pushing the bar that is directly in front of my face (or slightly off to my left). I usually don’t, but only because I am experienced.