November 27, 2006
Think Your Subway Commute Sucks?
Aside from the stations where you must use an elevator to get the trains, it always seems like most of the subway station elevators Gothamist sees are out of order. And the AP had an enlightening article about the sorry state of subway elevators when a reporter accompanied a Disabled Riders Association coordinator underground.
When Michael Harris powered his motorized wheelchair off the No. 5 subway train in Brooklyn last week, he encountered a familiar sight. The elevator to the street was broken.Later, Harris had to transfer to three different trains in order to reach a station that was accessible. Only 55 of the 469 subway stations are wheelchair-accessible. The MTA says it has a "rapid response team" to fix elevators within the first 24 hours of being notified, but the Manahttan Borough President's office issued a report saying that the average elevator are out of service for 13 days. Which we don't think is rapid, even by MTA standards.
Stranded, the 22-year-old turned to a station agent for help and was told to try backtracking three stops to the next-closest station with a working lift. From there, he could catch a bus.
Frustrated, Harris dialed 911 instead.
A team of firefighters soon arrived to hoist his 300-pound wheelchair to the surface. They carried Harris out on a gurney, "like the ones they use to carry dead bodies out of burning buildings,'' he said.
To many, the episode might seem like an overreaction, but Harris said was simply fed up with repeated breakdowns and unhelpful workers in a subway system that is barely wheelchair-friendly to begin with.
"The maintenance is terrible,'' said Harris, a coordinator for an advocacy group called the Disabled Riders Coalition. "If you're stuck on a platform with no way to get out, what if there's a fire?''
It remains to be seen whether the MTA will be sued, as Chicago's CTA and Boston's MBTA have been over their accessibility. But it's pretty sad that, as in the AP story, subway riders get annoyed with people in wheelchairs trying to get around platforms. And last week, John Waters told New York magazine, "I’m just glad I’m not crippled, because I hate the bus. Every block takes a hundred hours."
Photograph of Michael Harris at the Brooklyn Bridge station by Adam Rountree/AP
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not to mention that the elvators smell like feet, public bathrooms and/or slaughterhouses when they ARE available. why do we treat people this way?
low-floor BRT and LRT will definitely provide much better barrier-free access for those who need it; perhaps this will convince the MTA that the new bus lanes need to be physically separate from the street.
isn't there some kind of union-busting issue with installing elevators?
I don't think it's the MTA's fault that the elevators go down. It is their fault that the vast majority of stations are not accessible AND not repaired quickly.
The main problem is the non-handicapped subway riders that abuse the elevators. It's public property, so these animals treat them like a rental car and beat them to hell just for fun. If only there was a way to prevent non-handicapped people from using/abusing the lifts, then we'd be getting closer to a solution.
i believe if there's a fire, you're supposed to backtrack to the next-closest station with a working elevator.
LOL @ John Waters.
Elevators are also very helpful if you happen to have a baby with you, or a stroller (I realize that strollers aren't allowed on the platforms, but it's helpful for getting around the station and getting to/from the station.) When you go to other parts of the country/world, you see how antiquated the NYC subways really are.
That's why I bike Motherfuckers!!! hhahaha. damn, I'm smug but it's true. I bought a 200 dollar bike and a 50 dollar lock and basically own the city. I bought me a 3 ps3's and 2 wii's all cause I could bike to all the gamestop's, bestbuy's and circuit city's as fast as possible while everyone else was left in the dust in the subway's and looking for parking.
that dude rules for calling 911. he should do that every fucking day.
bastards.
Yeah kojo, a bike would be great for that guy in the wheelchair.
You're so right, Kujo. Handicapped people should just bike wherever they're going!
Why do bike riders feel the need to repeatedly tell everyone else how great bikes are? Are they trying to convince themselves?
It's like how everyone I know that moved to Brooklyn is always telling me how awesome Brooklyn is. I don't go around telling people how awesome Manhattan is... I don't get it.
I disagree that it was a good thing for Mr. Harris to call 911. It wasn't an emergency, and what he did was against the law. It's a bad situation, but pulling emergency resources from true emergencies, especially in a city like New York, is equally unconscionable.
Also, having a baby doesn't qualify one as disabled. The elevators are not meant for people who are not disabled, as Alan noted. The more wear and tear on the elevators, the more frequently they need service.
Fewer than 1/8 of the stations are handicapped-accessible? That is absolutely appalling. Also, what kind of an asshole gets annoyed at people in wheelchairs trying to maneuver on platforms? Jesus.
the elevator in my building gets more wear and tear in one hour than the MTA elevators in one year. Kudos for Harris for calling 911. It was an emergency, he couldn't get out of the subway.
The MTA broke the law, they didn't have accessibility for a wheeler. The MTA should be billed by the FDNY for the non emergency service. Also, the city should fine the MTA for breaking the law, they did have the appropiate accessibility for a wheeler.
for some reason i am a little turned off by michael harris' attitude. sorry, but i really don't think society is responsible for outfitting every subway station, curb, diner, post office, etc. with elevators/wheelchair access.
also, it's true that people abuse the hell out of the elevators. if you aren't wheelchair bound, with crutches, or over 70, WALK!!
Well that's a new twist on an age old problem ! If I were physcially challenged (I say that because dealing with the MTA's accessibility issues can render anybody physcially challenged),I would have sued the city and been set for life ! Although, If the MTA did make the system totally accessiable. It would encourage abuse by able body riders . (Oh wait they already do that now !) Which adds to the breakdowns in equipment used for that purpose . Still, They shouldfollow the letter of the law and make the subways totally accessiable to all NY'ers .
*for some reason i am a little turned off by michael harris' attitude. sorry, but i really don't think society is responsible for outfitting every subway station, curb, diner, post office, etc. with elevators/wheelchair access.*
so you're saying that advertisments, legal documents, street signs and the like shouldn't be outfitted with spanish, chinese, korean, russian etc translations as well? you know what you're right, i have an idea... down with minorities too. no one needs to em anyway!
jerk.
so few of the stations are equipped for wheelchairs, the least the MTA could do is be diligent about maintenance.
"for some reason i am a little turned off by michael harris' attitude. sorry, but i really don't think society is responsible for outfitting every subway station, curb, diner, post office, etc. with elevators/wheelchair access."
Yeah. The handicapped should be locked in their homes and refused access to the outside world. Who needs 'em? Right fishtale? It's not like they're human beings. They're cripples.
While we're at it, the police and fire department are for all you pussies that can't protect yourself. Screw you. I really don't think society is responsible for protecting every person, property, etc. with police and fire protection. I can protect what's mine. You should do the same. I'm tired of paying for your lazy asses to be protected.
/Do I need to mention that was sarcasm?
The letter of the law?!? Think again:
"By law, the MTA plans must have at least 100 key stations fully wheelchair-accessible by 2020. Parker said the authority is on track to meet that target, although it won't be easy or cheap."
So the letter of the law says these wheelchair people will get 100 "key" station elevators by 2020....not that they have a right to run over people's feet with their chairs in every station right this second.
It's funny that People advocate handicapped rights but whenever they are stuck on a bus that's taking a half hour to load some wheel chair guy they get pissed. Hello?? waiting half a hour for a wheelchair guy is what everyone wanted right?
i think he DOES call 911 everyday. this is the same dude that was denied entrance in a nightclub last new years eve, AND he's been on the news a few other times this year...i dunno. this guy LOVES the limelight. he's ALWAYS rolling around somewhere, preferably in front of a television camera. good for him--too bad the mta could give a damn!
I don't mind the wheelchair/scooter crowd on the bus. If I'm taking the bus, it means I'm in no hurry to get to my destination.
I feel bad for people on wheelchairs because as bad as the public transportation system is, the Access a Ride is worse or not much better. Especially now that it's getting colder.
Wouldn't you call 911 if you were trapped in a literal version of hell, known as the NYC subway system? It's an underground tunnel filled with mobs of smelly people, and as Mr. Harris is confined to a wheelchair, he is likely a magnet to every freak that walks by. I'd say that's emergency material, warranted to call 911.
As for what MTA is required to do by law - according to ADA, Title II, it is required to have every stop accessible NOW. The comment before about 2020 is pursuant to a settlement agreement that one Plaintiff entered into with the MTA, which is not binding on you, me, or anyone else. Unfortunately, the ADA does not allow Plaintiffs the right to collect monetary damages at the end of the suit and therefore does not offer the incentive that encourages most of our society to be litigious.
So, unless Mr. Harris or some other poor schmuck decides to endure the nightmare of litigating against a municipal corporation, such as the MTA, we live with the status quo.
At Canal Street station last year, the elevator apparently was working...but it was locked, and an out-of-towner in a wheelchair and his family were upset; the MTA worker suggested going back to Union Square, then taking the bus.
My friend and another man ended up helping carry the man and his wheelchair aboveground. (It wasn't one of those 300-pounders cited above.)
Welcome to NYC...
Where do you draw the line with this kind of crap? Do you seriously want to pay $13 per trip (or $494 for a 30 day unlimited) just so that every single subway station has an elevator?
Or what about mental disabilities? Don't they count? Shouldn't we simplify the subway so its easier for them to understand? No more express trains, no stations with more than one line.
Or what about the obese? They hate stairs. We should have to replace the stairs with escalators for everyone!
I love all these ideas. I want a subway system that is even more expensive, wasteful and inefficient and I want to pay more for the luxury of riding in it.
Alexia, how do you know it wasn't an emergency? What if he needed to go take some medication or see a doctor, pick up his kid, meet a deadline? Or even just arrive to work on time? How is a disabled person supposed to hold down a job if the city infrastructure prevents them from getting to work reliably? Wouldn't it cost more in the long run if this guy was dependent instead of employed?
Chances are everyone will experience some degree of disability at some point in their lives; he's really fighting to protect everyone's civil rights here, not just his own.
I hope the people writing snide comments about the disabled realize that they (or ANY of us) could end up in a wheelchair at any time. It just takes one accident.
Why not make the elevators only available by MetroCard swipe as suggested here: http://subwayblogger.com/2006/11/25/guy-in-wheelchair-calls-911-to-get-out-of-subway/