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Take Our Survey—And Help Us Report On Accessibility and Transit
By
Shumita Basu
Published Nov 20, 2019
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By
Shumita Basu
Published Nov 20, 2019
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There’s a lot to be said about what is and isn’t working for commuting New Yorkers with accessibility needs. From out-of-service elevators to newly-accessible stations, classic Access-a-Ride to the on-demand pilot, the team here at We The Commuters wants to hear how your needs are (or aren’t) being met.
For the next few weeks, our reporters will be focusing on transit issues related to accessibility. Your experiences will help guide our reporting. Please take our survey to let us know what’s most pressing for you. [Ed note: Thank you for your responses, this survey closed on December 4.]
Why accessibility, why now? The truth is, it’s never the wrong time to do an intentional reporting sprint on transit accessibility. According to the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, there are 930,100 people with disabilities living in New York City; that’s 11 percent of the city’s population. Over half a million New Yorkers have ambulatory disabilities, half a million are young children, and 1.2 million are seniors. And yet, only 120 of the city’s 493 subway stations are accessible by ramp or elevator. The MTA is currently embroiled in not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR lawsuits related to subway access. The transit agency says it’s improving, albeit slowly, and keeps pointing to the “Fast Forward” plan laid out by NYC Transit President Andy Byford. The MTA’s recently-approved capital plan allots $5.2 billion to be spent on 65 new escalators and 78 new elevators, surpassing Byford’s original goals.
Listen to Shumita Basu's report on our survey:
Here at We The Commuters, we’re treating this as an opportunity to check in on some of these long-simmering issues, but also to invite you to tell us what’s often left out of these discussions.
Okay, that’s it for now. Please take our survey—it should take you just a few minutes. Your responses will be kept confidential and anonymous unless you agree to other terms in conversation with a reporter. [Ed note: Thank you for your responses, this survey closed on December 4.]
Thanks for your input! [Ed note: Thank you for your responses, this survey closed on December 4.]
Shumita Basu is a host, producer and reporter in the newsroom. You can follow her on Twitter @shubasu.
We the Commuters is a weekly newsletter about transportation from WNYC and Gothamist. Sign up below for essential commuting coverage delivered to your inbox every Thursday.
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