Only 117 NYC subway stations are fully accessible…out of all 472. An upsetting number for those who are disabled and cannot use the stairs to maneuver NYC’s subway system.
The Guardian recently put together a comprehensive list of all the metropolitan city subway stations around the world, comparing number of subway entrances to the number of fully accessible subway entrances. And it’s not looking good.
This year alone the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has seen two class action lawsuits by the Disability Rights Advocates, claiming the subway system discriminates against disabled residents on both a local and federal level. With more than half of the total subway stations inaccessible by elevator, problems are exacerbated by the fact that even a number of the stations with “accessibility” don’t have functioning elevators.
Map showing all subway stations in NYC:
Map showing only fully accessible stations in NYC:
Big difference. These maps clearly outline yet another MTA issue that needs to be resolved, especially when you consider that the subway system is also the primary method of public transportation for most residents throughout much of the five boroughs.
Featured image source [Wikimedia Commons]