How accessible is the subway? News 12 gets a look at how a rider navigates the system
Accessibility advocates tell us they want to see more accessible stations, faster elevator repairs, and smaller gaps between the platform and train cars arriving.
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Riding the rails can be difficult if there is bad weather or if you are running late, but it is a different challenge for wheelchair users. News 12 took a closer look at those difficulties and what the MTA is doing to help.
Monica Bartley is a 70-year-old motorized wheelchair user. She was born with polio and said that never slowed her down: "It didn't stop me from doing things that I wanted to do."
Bartley is also an advocate with the Center for Independence of the Disabled New York (CIDNY). She let News 12 cameras tag along to see how she navigates the subway system. Accessibility advocates tell us they want to see more accessible stations, faster elevator repairs, and smaller gaps between the platform and train cars arriving.
"Sometimes the elevator here may be working. But when I get to the stop that I should get off, It's broken, so I'll have to continue or go back," Bartley said.
In 2022, the MTA settled two lawsuits and pledged to make 95% of its 472 subway stations accessible by 2055. The agency tells us it is on track to surpass that goal with around 155 stations currently accessible—35 in Brooklyn and 18 in the Bronx.
The agency also said it has more than 30 ongoing upgrades and projects in the system, including elevator and platform boarding zones installations. More than $2 billion allocated from congestion pricing and a $7.1 billion investment from the MTA’s upcoming capital plan are expected to fund these accessible projects.
