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New York City - Dov Hikind: NYC Subways Isn’t a Transit System, It’s a Death Ride. |
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left to right: Assemblyman Peter Abbate, Assemblyman Dov Hikind, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer
Of the 93 stations surveyed, more than 60% were rated with severe safety hazards. The survey was initiated after three constituents contacted Assemblyman Hikind with their close encounters of the dangerous kind in the subways.
A fourteen-year-old had fallen off the platform after the rotted wooden rubbing board at the edge of the platform gave way beneath him, launching him into the path of an incoming train. He pulled himself to safety with seconds to spare. Another constituent, a senior citizen, was traumatized as she sat in her vehicle, when a piece of the rail from the elevated subway tracks plung ed 30 feet and slammed into the roof of her car, shattering her windshield, missing her head by centimeters. Another teen, seventeen years old, Yossi Hershkop, had his shoe slip between the train and the platform. He would have been dragged along with the train if he had not successfully wrestled his foot out of the gap.
“Last week, after news of MTA’s budget gap, I insisted that the shortfall not be made up on the backs of hardworking New York City commuters. This week, with Assemblyman Hikind’s report, the other shoe has dropped: There’s just no room for shaving the cost of subway service and maintenance. All I can say is that Richard Ravitch and his commission have their work cut out for them. If we’re going to preserve current fares and maintain safe stations, we must find new revenue streams for mass transit,” said Manhattan BP Scott Stringer.
After reviewing Assemblyman Hikind’s report, Assemblyman Peter Abbate (D-Brooklyn) said, “It’s time for the MTA to step up and make repairs before someone is seriously injured or dies.”
Councilman Bill de Blasio added, “Maintaining safe subway platforms across our City can be a life and death matter. It shouldn’t take another tragedy for the MTA to make the repairs necessary to ensure the safety of all riders and keep our system up and running.”
“If I had these cracks, fissures, gaping holes, corrosion in the sidewalk in front of my home or on any wall in my home, I’d be slammed with violations,” said Hikind. “How is the MTA getting away with this kind of structural neglect? Who’s in charge? With 1.5 billion riders every year this is malpractice of the highest order. If any structure in New York City would be in such a state of disrepair, it would be condemned. This is inexcusable. It’s criminal. What is it going to take? And to add insult to the injuries, the MTA is floating another two-pronged assault, with two proposed back-to-back fare hikes. Hell no! Not when the MTA is so unconcerned about rider safety that they are effectively telling straphangers to go to hell. ‘Subway’ shouldn’t mean substandard. The MTA needs to clean20up their act now before we have a tragedy on our hands.”
The entire report can be read here
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Read Comments (9) — Post Yours »
1
Jul 29, 2008 at 02:28 PM anonymous Says:
" If we’re going to preserve current fares and maintain safe stations, we must find new revenue streams for mass transit,” said Manhattan BP Scott Stringer."
Welcome back congestion pricing.
2
Jul 29, 2008 at 03:15 PM Anonymous Says:
I disagree...If the MTA was MANAGED properly then the repairs would be made in a COST EFFECTIVE manner. Easy to say throw more money at the problem...they've never fixed anything properly under-budget. Let's really hold them accountable...for less money
3
Jul 29, 2008 at 03:19 PM Anonymous Says:
It's nice to see him busy with something other then Israel.
4
Jul 29, 2008 at 05:42 PM Esther Turk Says:
Who is paying for the new bus shelters ?
1) Most of the old ones are still good.
2) If we have extra funds put some where there aren't any at all.
3) Why the glass roofs, they are heat traps.
Do I have to pay more to stand underneath one for the half hour it takes till a bus comes ? (even when the bus schedule says every ten minutes ?)
Signed: anonymous
5
Jul 29, 2008 at 07:16 PM Anonymous Says:
FYI
The bus shelters were financed by a Israeli media company for in exchange for the Advertising spots.
6
Jul 29, 2008 at 09:16 PM Anonymous Says:
if you wantt a normal subway system go to London they tell you when the train is coming where its going,its a pleasure compared to New York
7
Jul 29, 2008 at 11:40 PM Gefilte Fish Says:
the new utrecht and McDonald tracks have to be put underground, its a shande how much noise the trains make when they pass. bringing down the whole neighborhood with it.
8
Jul 29, 2008 at 11:42 PM anonymous Says:
YOU KNOW THE COST IN LONDON FOR A RIDE ABOUT 7 OR 8 DOLLARS
9
Jul 30, 2008 at 05:43 AM Inappropriate spending Says:
It is interesting to note that in Manhattan the stations are maintained beautifully (despite there being no money) marble, stainless steel and glass, where in Brooklyn it seems that it has not been maintained in ages.
Where I live in Boro Park, my station (Ft Hamilton), has one exit sealed off with fence (with an accumulation of debree, which no one seems to care about). The concrete blocks have been uneven for years (which they just cemented) and some of the steps are missing their metal shield, and are uneven.
It feels like there is some inappropriate spending somewhere, to say the least!