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New York Has a Great Subway, If You’re Not in a Wheelchair

nytimes.com

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Re: New York Has a Great Subway, If You’re Not in a Wheelchair

#41

Post by djrogers »

Mythanar wrote: post #39

I highly suspect it is plain cheaper (and more convenient) to just subsidize private car rides for disabled people than making entire transit infrastructure in huge city to account for them. Better yet, take the money that government would otherwise spend on building all the wheelchair accomodations, and just distribute that between wheelchair users. I am sure many of them would prefer that over subway improvements w…

Your solution, while logical and seemingly full of common sense, is orthagonal to the regulatory and statutory solutions put in place in this country.

Re: New York Has a Great Subway, If You’re Not in a Wheelchair

#43

Post by cujo »

Mythanar wrote: post #39

I highly suspect it is plain cheaper (and more convenient) to just subsidize private car rides for disabled people than making entire transit infrastructure in huge city to account for them. Better yet, take the money that government would otherwise spend on building all the wheelchair accomodations, and just distribute that between wheelchair users. I am sure many of them would prefer that over subway improvements w…

I don't think I buy this as a viable alternative. The first problem that pops into my head is transportation for disabled people who are visiting the city or that commute in for whatever reason. Providing them access to the disabled-taxi-program is problematic.

Re: New York Has a Great Subway, If You’re Not in a Wheelchair

#44

Post by leonatan »

randyrand wrote: post #42

Given that 1 in 10,000 people in NYC are in wheelchairs, I really think it would be orders of magnitude more cost effective for the government to pay for disabled persons cab fares than to make public transit accessible. Has anyone run the numbers?

Would there also be interest paid for time lost in traffic? New York roads are tight and always busy, something the public transit system is supposed to workaround.

Re: New York Has a Great Subway, If You’re Not in a Wheelchair

#45

Post by ardit33 »

Mythanar wrote: post #39

I highly suspect it is plain cheaper (and more convenient) to just subsidize private car rides for disabled people than making entire transit infrastructure in huge city to account for them. Better yet, take the money that government would otherwise spend on building all the wheelchair accomodations, and just distribute that between wheelchair users. I am sure many of them would prefer that over subway improvements w…

The thing with accessibility elevators is it just not people in wheel chair that benefit from them. Elderly people, people that have sports injury and can't climb stairs, having groceries, or kids and strollers etc, etc...

Even in the sidewalks, the lips of the sidewalks that slope towards the street in intersections, it is just not people with wheelchairs that benefit from them, but anybody with carrying a stroller, rolling luggage for a trip, etc...

When I had a soccer injury 10 years ago, for one month straight I couldn't walk without some major pain. I had to plan my trips according to places that I could access, and it gives you some insight into people that are really disabled.

Re: New York Has a Great Subway, If You’re Not in a Wheelchair

#46

Post by djrogers »

astrodust wrote: post #18
covercash wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Something like this maybe? http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2014/10/23/korean-company-...

They investigated installing them here (Toronto) but the cost per station is pretty high, on the order of >$1M per platform. When you multiply that across a system as large as NYC that's easily half a billion dollars. I'm not sure how many ads you have to sell to recoup the cost, but it's probably a lot.

edit - thought we were still talking about a simple low wall or gate, not the floor to ceiling glass in the GP post. leaving below for posterity..

> on the order of >$1M per platform

That's insanity! Over $1M for something every amusement park has for every ride? Lemme guess, these one have to be engineered to the point of 'impossible to fail' and installed by the employees of municipal cronies at 3x fair wages?

Talk about perfect being the enemy of good...

Re: New York Has a Great Subway, If You’re Not in a Wheelchair

#47

Post by dionidium »

codq wrote: post #31
virtuexru wrote: post #15

Yet they are slated to raise the prices again next year. It's already $2.75 for a regular swipe. FeelsBadMan.

As someone who recently moved to NYC from the SF Bay Area, it's a pleasure to swipe for a ride, even at $3. That's a static fee to go anywhere . In the Bay Area, your BART ticket fee is dependent on where you want to go--at it's most extreme, can be up to $20/ride. $2.75-$3 to get anywhere in NYC is an absolute bargain.

Up to 155 miles on one fare, if you have 14 hours, don't mind 54 transfers, and, one supposes, really don't like yourself

http://www.citylab.com/navigator/2015/09/a-man-rode-the-long...

Re: New York Has a Great Subway, If You’re Not in a Wheelchair

#48

Post by jessaustin »

tribune wrote: post #6
grardb wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have a source for how often this happens? I can't find anything specifically about subway pushers in NYC. As far as I can tell, it's a very rare occurrence. That being said, I see fairly high numbers of deaths in general, mainly attributed to suicides and alcohol/drug use. How would this barrier work? Would it withdraw once the train pulled up or something?

There are gaps or doors that line up with the train doors when the subway stops

So this solution also requires operators able to stop the train at a particular point. Training is expensive!

Re: New York Has a Great Subway, If You’re Not in a Wheelchair

#49

Post by _audakel »

You could have "service stations" where people who want to do service aka do good could go. Wheel chair people could wait there for someone who was going to ride the subway anyway to walk past and, wanting to do good in the world, help the disabled person get on.

Re: New York Has a Great Subway, If You’re Not in a Wheelchair

#50

Post by Mythanar »

cujo wrote: post #43
Mythanar wrote: post #39

I highly suspect it is plain cheaper (and more convenient) to just subsidize private car rides for disabled people than making entire transit infrastructure in huge city to account for them. Better yet, take the money that government would otherwise spend on building all the wheelchair accomodations, and just distribute that between wheelchair users. I am sure many of them would prefer that over subway improvements w…

I don't think I buy this as a viable alternative. The first problem that pops into my head is transportation for disabled people who are visiting the city or that commute in for whatever reason. Providing them access to the disabled-taxi-program is problematic.

How so? Order Uber/Lyft ride, send a CC receipt to NYC gov with a disability proof. Get money back.

Any complications I am missing?

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