Grand Central Is So Hard To Get Out Of

Our beautiful transit hub is an accessibility nightmare [View this email in your browser]( A Dreaded Question For Many: How Will I Make It Out Of This Subway Station? Plus: The infamous Brooklyn-Queens streetcar project could eventually be...a bus route. Subway doors opened while the train was moving dozens of times last year. And we're reached a new frontier in MTA advertising: sitcom star Awkwafina reading 7 train announcements. By [James Ramsay](mailto:james@wnyc.org?subject=We%20the%20Commuters) Shumita Basu There's a moment Sabela Avión dreads every morning during her 7 train commute into Grand Central: when she turns a corner and eyes the giant escalator that may or may not be working. When it's running properly, all is well. When it isn't, Sabela — who has young-onset Parkinson’s disease, which means she sometimes has difficulty with balance and walking — has to climb up 80 stairs. In the past six months, she thinks she's had to take the stairs somewhere between 15 and 20 times. "It’s not easy for me," she said. "It’s not easy pretty much for anyone." What's worse: The stairs shouldn't be her only alternative. In the past, when the escalators were down, she'd turn around and take the elevator up to the mezzanine, and then another elevator up to the street. But as of last September, both of those elevators have been out of service for replacement. For the past couple months, We The Commuters has been asking for your stories and concerns about accessibility, and a number of you have written to us about the challenges of getting around Grand Central — the otherwise beautiful crown jewel of our city's transit system. So, we looked into this, and discovered that even though disruptions for maintenance work is inevitable, things weren't supposed to go this way. Because one elevator from the mezzanine to the street was scheduled to be replaced starting in September of 2019 and reopen in June of 2020, the MTA added a separate functioning elevator to connect the mezzanine to the street. But in late August of 2019, the elevator connecting the 7 train platform to the mezzanine (which was scheduled for eventual replacement in 2020) started experiencing issues. The MTA told us that it became necessary to take that elevator offline and replace it earlier than anticipated, meaning that the brief overlap of time where both the platform and mezzanine elevators were out of service became a seven-month gap. And while many riders can only use elevators, what about at least making sure the escalators work for those who need them? The MTA said that overall, escalators operate 89 percent of the time. But the escalators at Grand Central have one of the lowest in-service rates in the city, working just 70 percent of the time. System-wide, up to 78 elevators and 65 escalators are due to be replaced in the next capital plan. That includes the escalators Avión uses to get to the street from the 7 train platform. — Reporting by Shumita Basu What gets in the way of making your commute fully accessible? As We The Commuters looks into your questions about accessibility in NYC transit, we’re looking to you to help build a Visual Checklist to send to the MTA. Here’s what we want: Send us a picture of the bumps, blocks, and design flaws that make your commute inaccessible. Also include a few words about you and your accessibility needs. Share it on Twitter using #WeTheCommuters, or send us an email at WeTheCommuters@wnyc.org. We’ll compile your entries and share it with the MTA. Last Night in Queens... Angry Queens residents packed the "Rumpus Room" of a Jackson Heights senior center last night to sound off about proposed changes to the borough's bus network. As [Gothamist has reported]( Jackson Heights locals are upset because the bus system overhaul — Queens' first in a century — would eliminate the the Q49, Q33, and Q32 bus routes, which people rely on to get to and from the 74th Street-Roosevelt Avenue subway station. The MTA argues that routes aren't exactly being eliminated — rather, the entire map is being withdrawn, and new routes will still serve people trying to get to the 74th Street station. New York City Transit President Andy Byford — who, to his credit, really [got in there and took it]( — told the crowd last night that nothing was set in stone and he welcomed their feedback. "If we don’t have conversations like this, I’m not a mind-reader, I don’t know," Byford said, as the crowd reportedly shouted at him. "So it may well be there’s some stuff that’s sacrosanct, that may not want to change." The next one of these "community workshops" will be on January 21st, at 6 p.m. at the Greater Ridgewood Youth Council in Ridgewood. Here's [a complete list of public meetings]( about the Queens bus network's redesign. ([AM New York]( This Week's News From Gothamist and WNYC Chris Maj/Gothamist So many subway station entrances are inexplicably boarded up or locked, and Scott Stringer wants answers. The New York City comptroller sent a letter to the MTA this week demanding that the agency develop and publicly release plans for restoring these long-shuttered entry points. According to Stringer, there are currently [111 subway stations that don't have all of their entrances open](. A woman was fatally run over after exiting an MTA bus in Brooklyn on Thursday morning. One NYPD source said the preliminary investigation suggests that [she managed to open the doors and exit the B41 bus while it was still in motion](. Another police officer said the fatality didn't appear to be the bus driver's fault. Elsewhere in Brooklyn, police say a pedestrian was killed by a private sanitation truck driver early Thursday morning. A 64-year-old woman was struck at an intersection in Bensonhurst at around 4 a.m. The truck driver did not stay at the scene, and [it's unclear if they knew they hit someone](. A 98-year-old water main near Columbus Circle broke on Monday, causing a domino effect of subway and bus shutdowns. The MTA says that by the time the leak was shut off, [500,000 gallons of water had poured into the subway system]( and needed to be pumped out. The Department of Environmental Protection is eyeing these recent, [dramatic fluctuations between hot and cold weather]( as a cause of the break. New York State Attorney General Letitia James is investigating whether the NYPD's enforcement of fare evasion is targeting riders based on race. The NYPD has until February 10th to produce a range of data on its policing of farebeaters, but [the data that's already public shows deep racial disparities]( — black and Hispanic New Yorkers made up nearly 90 percent of arrests for fare evasion between October 2017 and June 2019. The NYPD flatly denied that there was anything wrong with officers' current enforcement practices. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is asking the Federal Aviation Administration to consider alternatives to the current $2 billion plan for an AirTrain to LaGuardia. Gov. Cuomo's plan has been criticized because it would require people leaving Manhattan to go [all the way out past LaGuardia to Willets Point, only to backtrack towards the airport](. Ocasio-Cortez has asked the FAA to look at other solutions, which could include ferry service, improved bus service, extending the subway from Astoria, or running an AirTrain from Woodside, Queens. The proposed Brooklyn-Queens waterfront streetcar line keeps getting shorter, more expensive, and more delayed, but the idea isn't dead! The city pledged to start presenting its latest plan early next month, with the ultimate goal of finishing the Astoria-to-Red Hook train (which was originally supposed to terminate in Sunset Park) in 2029. The project would also have to pass an environmental impact review, which could further alter the plan. For example, instead of a streetcar, [we could end up with a new bus route in a dedicated lane](. The MTA is honoring its own graphic design with an exhibit, co-produced with MoMA, inside the Fifth Avenue - 53 Street subway station. The relationship between the transit agency and the museum [goes back years](. It was a MoMA curator who introduced the MTA to the designers who got the agency using Helvetica and colored symbols in the early 70s. Awkwafina recorded 7 train conductor announcements as a way to promote her new TV show. For the next week, riders will hear [jokey lines about each subway stop along the 7 line]( delivered by the rapper, actor, and Queens native Awkwafina, whose real name is Nora Lum. She has a semi-autobiographical sitcom, called Nora From Queens, debuting on Comedy Central later this month. The MTA has not said how much Comedy Central paid for this, but the agency said it wants to do more sponsored announcements in the future. What Else We're Reading There were at least 64 occasions last year where the subway doors opened while the train was moving. While still a rare occurrence, that's nearly double the amount of times this happened in 2018 (37). This information comes after the MTA had to pull nearly 300 new subway cars out of service because of faulty doors that could open slightly with the train in motion. ([The City]( New Jersey continues to use money meant for other things to cover NJ Transit's operating costs. Governor Phil Murphy has continued to do what he criticized Chris Christie for: taking money from NJ Transit's capital fund — or other pots, like the state's Clean Energy Fund — to pay NJ Transit's operating costs. Even still, revenue from fares make up nearly half of the operating budget, and given NJ Transit's projected deficit, fare hikes are more likely for 2021. ([NorthJersey.com]( The MTA ordered an artist who made his own version of the subway map to stop selling it on Etsy. Jake Berman spent 300 hours creating his version of the map back in 2009, but didn't start selling it on Etsy until he saw other people copying his map and selling it. The transit agency didn't say why it went after the Etsy sale, specifically, but either way, Berman's map is still for sale on his own website. ([Motherboard]( Because Awkwafina's commentary won't be playing on every subway line all the time (or at all, after next Wednesday), you're going to need something else to listen to on the train. I recommend WQXR's latest Classical Commute playlist. [Stream it for free on Spotify](. Weekend Service Changes: Night of January 17th – Early Morning on January 20th This is a partial list of major service disruptions scheduled for the weekend. For a complete list of the MTA's Weekender updates, [check here](. train service between 137 St, Manhattan and 242 St, the Bronx will be replaced by and trains, M3, M100, and free shuttle buses. trains will replace trains in Brooklyn. On Sunday, train service between E 180 St, the Bronx and Bowling Green, Manhattan will be replaced by and trains On Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon, the train will skip 72 St in Manhattan in both directions due to the Women's March 2020 trains will run via the line in both directions between 21 St-Queensbridge, Queens and W 4 St, Manhattan. train service between Broadway Junction and Lorimer St in Brooklyn will be replaced by free shuttle buses. train service between Church Av and Stillwell Av in Brooklyn will be replaced by free shuttle buses. [Check here]( for complete details about the Long Island Rail Road. For NJ Transit, [check here]( for the latest service advisories. Upcoming Meetings and Events Tuesday, January 21st Joint Metro-North & LIRR Committee Meeting — 8:30 a.m. NYC Transit / MTA Bus Committee Meeting — 10:00 a.m. Thursday, January 23rd MTA Board Meeting — 10:00 a.m. Registration for two-minute public speaking slots opens 15 minutes before the start time for official MTA committee meetings. To speak before an MTA board meeting, you must register 30 minutes early. All meetings are held in the MTA's Board Room at 2 Broadway, on the 20th Floor. James Ramsay will give the MTA credit: cool fonts. (Photo by Amy Pearl) Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential transportation coverage and more. [Donate]( Copyright © 2020 New York Public Radio, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: New York Public Radio 160 Varick Street New York, NY 10013 [unsubscribe]( [update preferences]( [privacy policy](