MTA plans first major redesign of subway turnstiles in modern history

Agency says it lost $690M to fare and toll evasion last year [FORWARD TO A FRIEND]( [VIEW IN BROWSER]( [DONATE]( [WNYC Politics Brief] MTA unveils new designs for subway turnstiles, reports $690 million in fare and toll evasion Plus: Service disruptions coming to B, D, F and M lines during switch upgrades. Debate over the culpability of bystanders during Jordan Neely's death. And $30 million to support Open Streets in under-resourced neighborhoods. [glass sliding door fare gates set up at Grand Central Terminal]( Bahar Ostadan/Gothamist The MTA is planning the first major redesign of subway turnstiles in modern history, a change officials said is key to cracking down on fare evasion on the city’s mass transit system. Prototypes of the new fare gate designs were on display at Grand Central Terminal on Wednesday. The equipment isn’t actually a turnstile that rotates as a straphanger passes through, but instead a pair of glass doors that slide open after a fare is paid. MTA Chair Janno Lieber said the new equipment would replace emergency exit doors in subway stations, which he said are the system's main source of fare evasion. There’s not yet a timeline for the overhaul of the turnstiles. [a reporter trying to jump over the new sliding door turnstile] A newspaper reporter fell on his rear after attempting to jump over the sliding door gate. According to MTA's new [Blue Ribbon Panel report on fare evasion]( the agency lost an estimated $690 million last year to fare and toll evaders. (Officials said subway fare evasion was responsible for about $285 million of those losses, while bus fare evasion cost $315 million, fare evasion on commuter rail lines cost $44 million and driver toll evasion cost $46 million.) In addition to eventually installing new subway fare gates, officials said they would focus on both "education" and enforcement to address the problem. The agency formed the Blue Ribbon Panel as advocates raised concerns about historical racial disparities in fare evasion enforcement. NYPD data showed 93% of people arrested for fare evasion in the subways during the final three months of 2022 were Black or Hispanic. And 66% of those issued summonses for fare evasion during that period were Black or Hispanic. The panel members also said they planned state legislation that would tie the cost of fines issued to those who evade fares to their personal incomes. Lieber said the MTA plans to speak with NYPD officials on the plan to crack down on fare evasion without racially targeting people of color. "We’re going to keep working with the NYPD," Lieber said. "They are part of his solution." — [Reporting by Bahar Ostadan and Clayton Guse]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- MTA to reduce service on B, D, F and M subway lines through July 3 [people waiting for a train at the Rockefeller Plaza station]( Gary Hershorn/Getty Images Now through July 3, the MTA says [riders on certain subway lines should expect rocky commutes]( as crews make upgrades to switches at the West 4th Street station. The MTA said riders who use the B, D, F or M lines uptown should expect their commutes to take an extra minute or two. Officials said fewer midday M trains will run during weekdays, and during rush hour, fewer F trains will run and F express service between Church Avenue and Jay Street-MetroTech will be suspended. Disruptions are also expected for A, C and E service on nights and weekends during construction as some trains that beneath Sixth Avenue in Manhattan will be redirected to the Eighth Avenue subway line. The work is scheduled to wrap up before the MTA plans to boost weekend service on the G, J and M lines. — [reporting by Bahar Ostadan]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- Here's what else is happening Should bystanders be held legally accountable for not intervening while Daniel Penny fatally choked Jordan Neely? Some protesters argued that the other passengers on Neely's train were complicit and should be arrested, and two states — Rhode Island and Vermont — have laws requiring bystanders to provide "reasonable assistance" to people facing serious harm. But a legal expert who studies bystanderism said such a rule would go against New York City's unwritten code: Mind your own business, even in violent situations. ([The New York Times]( The City Council is considering a buyback program so New Yorkers could exchange the lithium-ion batteries in their electric scooters and bikes for safer options at little to no cost. The fire department said more people died in fires started by lithium-ion batteries in the first five months of 2023 than during all last year. ([Gothamist]( More than 1,000 e-commerce delivery trucks drive through Red Hook every day, polluting a predominantly low-income neighborhood whose air quality isn't tracked by the city's health department. The data from a new Consumer Reports study is being used to lobby for policy changes, including a push to create lower-emissions "last mile" delivery alternatives like cargo bikes. ([Gothamist]( The Department of Transportation said it's dedicating $30 million to support the maintenance of Open Streets in under-resourced neighborhoods. The money will be used to hire people to set up barriers, clean debris, help residents with disabilities and perform other tasks that have been handled by volunteers and Business Improvement District officials in more affluent areas. ([Streetsblog]( The MTA and the largest transit workers' union failed to finalize a contract by their May 15 deadline. Transport Workers Union Local 100, which represents about 40,000 subway and bus workers, said it's still fighting for better hazard pay, paid family leave, lifetime spousal health benefits, an official COVID Remembrance Day work holiday and other changes for the next contract. ([AM New York]( Taxi drivers are suing to block the city from reallocating green cab licenses to for-hire drivers who can't be hailed on the street. The New York Taxi Workers Alliance is accusing the Taxi and Limousine Commission of violating state law by reclaiming up to 2,500 unused licenses for green cabs, which operate in Upper Manhattan and the outer boroughs, and giving them to unmetered livery cars. ([THE CITY]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential election coverage and more. [DONATE]( [Facebook]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Instagram]( [WNYC]( [WQXR]( [NJPR]( [GOTHAMIST]( [WNYC STUDIOS]( [THE GREENE SPACE]( Copyright © New York Public Radio. 160 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 All rights reserved. [Terms of Use.]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your [preferences]( or [unsubscribe]( from this list