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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

#71

Post by afarrell »

matthewmacleod wrote: post #54
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…

Remember that it's not just people in wheelchairs who benefit from accessibility though. The elderly, injured infirm, people with small children etc. also find accessibility helpful. Modern accessibility policy is focused in a large part around allowing people with accessibility requirement to live as normal a life as possible. It's not going to change overnight, but by making sure that all new construction and refur…

Also, people buying carrying furniture from IKEA or large amounts of groceries.

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

#72

Post by ufmace »

This article paints a pretty negative view of it, but looking at the numbers, that might not be the case:

425 stations total 92 stations accessible

Boston has 53 stations, with "90% wheelchair accessible", sounds like 48 to me.

So "lousy" NYC has almost double the number of wheelchair accessible stations as "great" Boston, and 8 times the total number of stations.

Sadly, retrofitting more elevators into existing stations, especially many of the smaller ones, is a tough sell. It would at least be nice if they could do a better job of maintaining them and keeping track of the ones that are down and what the best alternative route is.

And the program, mentioned elsewhere in this thread, to provide discounted van service, is probably much better, considering the challenge of getting to and between stations when disabled.

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

#73

Post by tgb »

mtanski wrote: post #9
tribune wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most stations have more than one elevator, but that's still terrible

Most stations have exactly 0 elevators.

The OP was using statistics of wheelchair accessible stations to get that 25% number.

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

#74

Post by nemo44x »

grardb wrote: post #3
popopobobobo wrote: post #2

I think MTA should also consider putting a barrier on the edge of the platform. So that we won't get dozens of people being pushed off to the rails.

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?

The MTA is currently working on a solution that doesn't use barriers. [1] The short of it is that it will use thermal cameras and other sensors to determine if a human (and not a rat, for instance) has entered the tracks and is in danger.

It won't kill the trains but slow them down considerably and of course if it's a last second jumper or someone who falls right as the train is entering the station it won't work. But I imagine it will help solve a majority of the issues.

If you're nervous for your safety then I would recommend to stand on the far end of the platform where the front of the train stops at the station.

[1] http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/mta-testing-systems-save...

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

#75

Post by greenyouse »

jessaustin wrote: post #55

It's certainly past time that some tiny fraction of the billions of dollars spent on accessibility were spent subsidizing modes of travel that don't require such bland and dehumanized environs. Elevators on medium-sized buildings (and subways) are a nuisance, in that they make most of the population less healthy in exchange for 0.7% of the population being able to explore every nook. If the law hadn't cemented handic…

Sort of a tangent but have you seen the iBot chairs? They can climb stairs. It's pretty cool to watch!

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

#76

Post by nemo44x »

Tokkemon wrote: post #21
popopobobobo wrote: post #2

I think MTA should also consider putting a barrier on the edge of the platform. So that we won't get dozens of people being pushed off to the rails.

6 people died from being struck by trains in a year (I think that was 2015 they pushed in their advertisements). There were about 1.76 billion rides in the same period. As much as it's a feel-good measure, there is no conceivable way to justify the incredible expense of platform doors for such a small number of instances. And the dirty secret is most of those are suicides. If they can't kill themselves on a train, th…

In 2013 151 were struck and 53 died. Those are rather consistent numbers.

However, when you consider the millions that ride the Subway each day and the hundreds of millions each year it's a very small number.

Cars create more deaths per capita I believe.

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

#77

Post by refurb »

astrodust wrote: post #59
djrogers wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Insanity? That's dirt cheap . Think about how much mechanical complexity goes into each door, how it has multiple motors, servos, linear actuators and such. It has to be safe when closed, and it has to be safe when opened, it can't spontaneously shut in someone's face or pin them in the middle. It needs multiple sensors that can handle being exposed to a lot of wear and tear. It needs to operate for years on end with…

Sorry, but $20K per door is still ridiculous. This is not new technology, automatically operated doors are used in many different settings. It's pure gov't waste to pay that much. It would be wasteful if it was 1/4 that much.

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

#78

Post by nemo44x »

guruz wrote: post #33

What about mothers/fathers with baby buggies?

You carry the buggy up the stairs together and if you're on your own a stranger will help you. It's very common to see this (and to help people when you see they need help) in NYC.

Beside our reputation, we're a friendly bunch here.

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

#79

Post by nemo44x »

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.

It's still a bargain. Especially if you're out there a ways. A single price for everyone is especially nice when you consider many systems charge you based on distance. So people in "less desirable" or central locations (who often have less money) have to pay more.

Considering you don't have to own a car if you live in NYC, $130/month is a real bargain and about the only thing in this city that is affordable.

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

#80

Post by ars »

dionidium wrote: post #47
codq wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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...

He's going to have to do it again. The SUBWAYTRON5000 found an even longer ride.
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