New York Metro Accessibility

[2drwhofans]

https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york...221-story.html


"New York, New York, a helluva town
The Bronx is up, but the Battery's down
The people ride in a hole in the groun' ***
New York, New York, it's a helluva town!"

Leonard Bernstein

*** unless, of course, they're wheelchair boun'

[betheny]

25% of the stations have (stinky, feces crusted) elevators. On any day, some of those will work! I've never even been on it, but I've research
ed it plenty.

[sarcastrix]

25% of the stations have (stinky, feces crusted) elevators. On any day, some of those will work! I've never even been on it, but I've research
ed it plenty.

I'd say it's a higher percentage judging by the state of them on my last visit. I swear the elevator under Madison Sq Garden to reach the New Jersey Transit doubles as a urinal.

[stephen212]

https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york...221-story.html

That was a disheartening read. I lived in NYC for decades before relocating to greener pastures of Los Angeles (actually, there's nothing green here) in 2014. I somehow managed to navigate the city well enough -- keeping in mind that over time a wheeler unconsciously redraws the map to those places he/she can get to -- relying on buses (100% accessible on a good day), subways (a relatively recent option, though limited, to wheelers), and just plain using my own motor power often covering long distances. With each return to NYC to visit family and friends, my nostalgia declines. It's a bitch to get negotiate even with finely-honed wheelchair skills. The world, especially old cities, is not built for us. Duh, right?!

[stephen212]

25% of the stations have (stinky, feces crusted) elevators. On any day, some of those will work! I've never even been on it, but I've research
ed it plenty.

While I'm sure there have been #2 sightings on NYC subway station elevators, I don't recall having ever witnessed this myself. Urine-stenched elevators, for sure. It's a problem here in Los Angeles as well. A problem secondary to the burgeoning homeless population. No one *wants* to relieve themselves on the elevators. You don't have to peel back too many layers to expose the deep societal-political-economic forces at play.

[ToastGuard]

My wife and I decided to take a weekend trip up to NYC a few years back. We live in the DC area, so it was an easy train ride up to Penn Station. The subway was an absolute mess and thankfully we only had to ride it to and from the hotel. I was not aware that a wheeler needed to request a handicapped pass ahead of time to be able to use the subway's accessible entrance. There were no MTA reps in the Penn Station subway station, so we ended up just having my wife walk through the turnstile and come back and open the emergency exit for me. Thankfully it was a straight shot to Times Square, but on the way back the escalators and elevators to the Amtrak level from the Subway were broken. We ended up having to go to the furthest reaches of the station, go up to street level, go all the way around Madison Square Garden (with our luggage, btw), and use their elevator to get to the Amtrak level. To top it off, the elevator to the train platform was broken, so thankfully the escalator was wide enough for me to ride. I had to argue with the Amtrak employee as she claimed I couldn't ride it and I must be carried down, but I just got on the escalator and proved her wrong. NYC was a fun trip, but accessibility was a constant issue no matter where we went. That coupled with my hands being constantly black due to the dirty sidewalks means I'll likely not be going back anytime soon.

[stephen212]

That coupled with my hands being constantly black due to the dirty sidewalks means I'll likely not be going back anytime soon.

And there's that.

[RollinPositive]

25% of the stations have (stinky, feces crusted) elevators. On any day, some of those will work! I've never even been on it, but I've research
ed it plenty.

Thats interesting you have never used it but you have that information??

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm we use it and we rarely have issues.

[RollinPositive]

My wife and I decided to take a weekend trip up to NYC a few years back. We live in the DC area, so it was an easy train ride up to Penn Station. The subway was an absolute mess and thankfully we only had to ride it to and from the hotel. I was not aware that a wheeler needed to request a handicapped pass ahead of time to be able to use the subway's accessible entrance. There were no MTA reps in the Penn Station subway station, so we ended up just having my wife walk through the turnstile and come back and open the emergency exit for me. Thankfully it was a straight shot to Times Square, but on the way back the escalators and elevators to the Amtrak level from the Subway were broken. We ended up having to go to the furthest reaches of the station, go up to street level, go all the way around Madison Square Garden (with our luggage, btw), and use their elevator to get to the Amtrak level. To top it off, the elevator to the train platform was broken, so thankfully the escalator was wide enough for me to ride. I had to argue with the Amtrak employee as she claimed I couldn't ride it and I must be carried down, but I just got on the escalator and proved her wrong. NYC was a fun trip, but accessibility was a constant issue no matter where we went. That coupled with my hands being constantly black due to the dirty sidewalks means I'll likely not be going back anytime soon.

FYI why would you not just stick with the subway at TimeSq and ride it back to Penn Station is one stop?

Anyone traveling now understand Penn Station is under a major renovation!

You also could have rolled back and enjoy the sights of the city and or called 611 or used the WOW app.

Even the bus system is amazing.

http://accessibledispatch.org/

You dont need an handicap pass or anything special do use the ada entry or exit just push the crash bar!

It's amazing when people post having been there once and make it all so negative...Not everyone is cut out to travel.

Life is an adventure enjoy it because ones hands can always be washed or wear gloves!