Riders like renovated Bay Ridge Ave. subway station

But disability advocates decry lack of elevator

October 17, 2017 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

A rider sitting on a bench glances at a new mosaic decorating the wall in the newly renovated Bay Ridge Avenue subway station. The MTA installed several other features to make the wait for an R train more comfortable for riders. Eagle photo by Paula Katinas

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Days after MTA reopened the Bay Ridge Avenue subway station with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and classical music serenading straphangers, riders began the new workweek enjoying their new surroundings.

The subway station, which had been closed for six months for a renovation and upgrade, reopened on Oct. 13.

But while elected officials and civic leaders hailed the station’s reopening, advocates for the physically disabled protested the fact that the renovation did not include the construction of an elevator at the station.

The lack of an elevator means that the Bay Ridge Avenue station does not comply with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), advocates said.

The Bay Ridge Avenue station, often referred to by local residents as the 69th Street station, is one of the busiest subway stops in the Southwest Brooklyn neighborhood. It is part of a major transportation hub in the neighborhood, with access to three bus lines, the B9, B64 and B70.

While MTA Chairman Joe Lhota cut the ceremonial ribbon at the turnstile on Friday afternoon to mark the grand reopening, the group South Brooklyn Progressive Resistance was holding a street-level protest.

“It’s unacceptable for any station to close for six months and reopen without an elevator,” said Jennifer Gaboury, a member of South Brooklyn Progressive Resistance and a faculty member at Hunter College.

Elizabeth Melas, a Brooklyn based disability activist involved in South Brooklyn Progressive Resistance, said the lack of an elevator is a hardship for the physically disabled because they cannot navigate subway stairs.

“It’s demeaning to not be able to meet people at a moment’s notice. Needing to plan, having an exact address and time. Disability rights are human rights!” Melas said.

“Less than a quarter of all subway stations in New York City are accessible for people who use wheelchairs, mobility devices, or are otherwise unable to use stairs, said Andrew Gounardes, a Bay Ridge resident and R-train rider. “This is inexplicable and inexcusable. With all the focus on fixing the subways and making sure the trains run on time, we absolutely must prioritize making the subway system work for everyone.”

The advocates were joined by two political candidates.

Justin Brannan, a Democrat running for Bay Ridge’s City Council seat, said something has to be done to make the transit system fair and equitable for all riders.

“This is not about convenience, it’s about necessity. And for the MTA to argue that it is too expensive to make subway stations accessible to people with disabilities is particularly odious when they just spent $24 million dollars on bells, whistles and Wi-Fi at the Bay Ridge Avenue station,” Brannan said

Ross Barkan a Democrat who entered the race to challenge Republican state Sen. Marty Golden in 2018, said cosmetic changes in the subway system fall far short of what riders need.

“Shutting down the crucial Bay Ridge Avenue R station for six months for cosmetic upgrades was galling enough, but it’s utterly despicable that this station still does not comply with the ADA. Countdown clocks and multicolored tiles mean nothing if the trains never show up or straphangers can’t even access the station in the first place,” Barkan said.

On the same day the Bay Ridge Avenue station reopened, MTA officials announced that two other subway stations along the R line will be equipped with elevators as part of a $40-million upgrade.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced last year that the Bay Ridge Avenue station would be one of three Brooklyn subway stations to undergo repairs under the MTA’s Enhanced Station Initiative. An elevator will be built at the 95th Street in 2019. The following year, an elevator will be constructed at the 77th Street station.

Construction is also set to begin on an elevator at the 86th Street station.

Here are some of the sites that greeted riders at the newly renovated Bay Ridge Avenue subway station:

New tiles, flooring, benches, lighting and artwork.
Improved signage for easier navigation, including digital, real-time updates on on-time performance at subway entrances.
Amenities, such as countdown clocks, cellular connectivity, Wi-Fi, new art and security cameras.

“It is nice. It certainly is clean,” one rider told the Brooklyn Eagle as she waited for a Manhattan-bound R train Monday morning.

Along with Bay Ridge Avenue, the other stations closed for repairs under the project were 53rd Street and Prospect Avenue. The 53rd Street station reopened last month.