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Q&A

MTA's progress on ADA accessibility goals for subway stations

1:04:09

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3 min

Council Member Mercedes Narcisse inquires about the MTA's progress towards achieving 95% accessible transit system by 2055. Demetrius Crichlow, President of New York City Transit, responds by outlining the current and planned accessibility improvements.

Currently, 50 stations are ADA accessible
The 2022-2024 plan includes 68 additional accessible stations
The 2025-2029 plan proposes 60 more accessible locations
These improvements would bring the system to 54% ADA accessible stations

Mercedes Narcisse

1:04:09

My first question is the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990, nearly thirty five years ago and it's long overdue that the MTA moved towards providing a % accessible transit system for all New Yorkers.

1:04:26

What is the current progress toward meeting the steady 95% by 02/1955 Sobre accessibility goals.

1:04:35

What is the average cost to install an elevator or escalator in a Sobre station?

1:04:42

And for Avenue L line, ever since Sandy weekend been a problem and I'm gonna say even my own children coming to visit me having problem because they cannot get to me because of the transportation desert that we located.

1:05:03

So what phase are we are now?

1:05:06

And another question that I just wrote here, give me a picture, spare me sometimes because I want you to ask that one.

1:05:17

In New York City control, the New York City Controller audit, this week it's revealed that nearly one in four wheelchair user on express buses could not board due to wheelchair lift issues or drivers failing to stop?

1:05:33

What immediate action is the MTA taking to ensure all express bus drivers are properly trained and I mean held accountable for ADA compliance.

1:05:47

The audit highlights significant service reliability issues with 70% survey riders reporting service cancellations and some waiting over an hour for the next bus.

1:06:03

What specific measures is the MTA implementing in the upcoming budget to address service gaps and ensure ex express buses adhere to the schedule, particularly for disabled riders who rely on this route.

Demetrius Crichlow

1:06:21

Okay.

1:06:22

Thank you for that.

1:06:23

I appreciate it.

1:06:25

So for an accessibility, I think the reality is the capital plan is really the solution to that.

1:06:33

Right now, we have a 50 stations that are ADA accessible.

1:06:39

And the twenty twenty to twenty twenty four plan, we had 68 stations additional.

1:06:46

And for the twenty twenty five to twenty twenty nine plan, which we which what we're talking about, there's 60 additional locations.

1:06:54

So that would bring the system as a whole, again the largest transportation network in North America, to be 54% of its stations as ADA accessible, which is like a huge place.

1:07:08

It's more than what we've done over the last several capital programs.

1:07:12

It's it's huge.

1:07:13

And so it shows our invest our interest, our desire to not to make our system more accessible.

1:07:20

We are fully supportive of you and the city's commitment to helping us get there.

1:07:26

Know, it really does mean that we have to support the capital program in order to make make make progress on it.

1:07:32

You know, what we've done on the operating side is make sure that those locations which are accessible are functioning.

1:07:38

So our elevator and elevator and escalator availability has been at like 98% because we've invested resources to make sure that the current system that we have running runs well.

1:07:52

Adding new locations, we all for it.

1:07:55

What

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Cost and implementation of elevators and escalators in subway stations