Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
MTA Emergency Gate Alarms: Necessary Evil or Evil Annoyance?
By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 9, 2010
Modified Sep 9, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 9, 2010
Modified Sep 9, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Commuters trying to escape a crowded subway exit bottleneck have come to accept those abominable emergency door alarms as an infuriating fact of life. But the New York City Transit Riders Council says it doesn't have to be that way! The volunteer group, which was created by the state legislature in 1981 to represent the official voice of NYC bus and subway riders, has issued a report urging the MTA to replace the high volume alarms "with indicator lights or low volume audible tones."
After conducting a survey monitoring subway behavior, the NYCTRC concluded that "because the alarms sound very frequently, they have lost their ability to alert riders to a possible emergency and, if anything, serve to distract a shrinking force of station personnel from other duties...The alarms that sound to indicate that an emergency gate has been opened do not appear to deter improper use of the gates."
But without the horrible piercing alarm sounds, won't fare beaters go wild? The NYCTRC, which observed 109 people sneaking into the subway through an open emergency gate, doesn't think so. According to the report: "It has been said that alarms sounding when emergency gates are open serve as notice of an opportunity for fare evasion, but it must also be noted that there is much fare evasion that does not involve the emergency gates." And it's not unheard of for the transit police to arrest a commuter for exiting through the gate, either; one guy spent 28 hours in jail for trying to leave the subway station through an emergency gate.
Tagged
emergency gate
MTA
nyc transit
subway
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
New York state stockpiled abortion pills. Now they're all expired.
The state Department of Health says it will soon destroy its reserve of misoprostol pills, which is enough for 12,500 doses.
By
Jon Campbell
and
David Lombardo
Published Oct 5, 2026 at 6:00 a.m. ET
NYC Council hearing to put AI risks in the spotlight
Employees from four tech companies, as well as whistleblowers, are scheduled to speak to the City Council on the dangers of AI.
By
Carol Chen
News
NYC Council hearing to put AI risks in the spotlight
Employees from four tech companies, as well as whistleblowers, are scheduled to speak to the City Council on the dangers of AI.
By
Carol Chen
A sixth person dies after falling ill in NYPD custody this year
By
Ryan Kost
NJ reports first West Nile Virus death of the year
By
Michael Sol Warren
NY's prison system is in crisis. It's driving staff away from the job.
By
Emily Russell
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .