An accessible subway, in reach

The movement to make transit more inclusive and rider-friendly isn’t a new one. Organizations like ours have been fighting for decades to elevate the voices of all transit riders, especially those that too often go unheard — such as people with disabilities, seniors and parents with young children. We haven’t always agreed with the MTA’s approach to making the system more accessible, but today, and in the ongoing fight to make the system open and welcoming for all, we find ourselves allied strongly with them on a key issue.

Despite the many challenges wrought by the pandemic, including the pause on the Capital Program, we are impressed and encouraged that the MTA completed 11 new subway station accessibility projects in 2020. The current capital plan includes a real, meaningful commitment to furthering accessibility at 77 additional subway and commuter rail stations within the city. Many of those projects are already underway, and we expect a dozen more to get started this year.

We are also encouraged by the recent hiring of the MTA’s first-ever chief accessibility officer, Quemuel Arroyo, who was appointed earlier this year. We know Arroyo wants to be a voice for all riders, and to expand the accessibility agenda across all MTA agencies.

This progress is encouraging, but so much work remains. We have to pick up the pace to meet the challenge of this moment. Today, just 28% of the MTA’s 493 subway and Staten Island Railway stations are accessible. And of the Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road stations located within the five boroughs, just one-half and two-thirds are accessible, respectively. That’s’ just not good enough. We need to fast-track this work — which brings us to the MTA’s and Department of City Planning’s new zoning proposal, currently in public review for consideration by the City Planning Commission and City Council.

Called Zoning for Accessibility, the proposal would help the MTA more quickly achieve its goal of making the subway and rail system fully accessible by allowing the agency to work with private developers building next to stations to set aside space in their buildings for the MTA to incorporate elevators and other station improvements. In some of the highest-density areas of the city, developers could also opt to build these upgrades themselves in exchange for a modest increase in their building density.

This means accessibility improvements that come at no cost to taxpayers and allow the MTA to pursue more accessibility projects more quickly. We’d like to see the money that the MTA would have spent on these projects, which will now be developed privately, go to other dedicated accessibility projects.

A more accessible transit system benefits all of us. It means more independence for people with disabilities and less reliance on Access-A-Ride, an expensive and inefficient transportation option. It’s hard to overstate how life-changing this would be for riders who use wheelchairs or other mobility devices, seniors hoping to age in place, and parents and guardians pushing strollers around the system that so many New Yorkers take for granted.

The MTA developed Zoning for Accessibility in partnership with the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, the Department of City Planning and the City Council. Transit, senior and disability advocates, including organizations like ours, were engaged from the start.

This comprehensive proposal also cuts through red tape and prioritizes the needs of communities across the city, creating more opportunities for accessible stations in neighborhoods outside Manhattan. This includes many stations where it would otherwise be difficult to build elevators, like elevated stations over narrow sidewalks in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens — boroughs where commuter trains also run.

Transit accessibility is essential, but it’s not cheap. We need to use every tool in the toolbox to improve the system, including working with real estate developers on proposals like this one. It’s common sense, and more important than ever as the city looks to recover from the pandemic. Mass transit is the lifeblood of New York, and we need a system that truly serves all New Yorkers helping to lead the way out of this crisis. If we fail to meet the moment, people will abandon the system in favor of cars, creating more congestion and less space on our streets. That’s not good for anyone.

We strongly encourage all New Yorkers to learn more about Zoning for Accessibility and advocate for its approval by their City Council representative. This is a historic opportunity and we can’t afford to pass it up.