What's happening
This bill requires the MTA to make more subway stations accessible, improve elevator reliability and information, and achieve full accessibility by 2034.
Why it matters
Sets clear, enforceable timelines for accessibility upgrades. , requiring the MTA to renovate 50 stations for accessibility within five years and 130 more by 2029, pushing the system toward full accessibility by 2034 and creating accountability for progress.
Mandates transparent, equity-focused criteria for prioritizing station upgrades. , ensuring that improvements consider factors like ridership, neighborhood demographics (including poverty rates among seniors and disabled people), and proximity to essential services—potentially directing resources to communities most in need.
Requires real-time, public elevator outage and accessibility data. , empowering riders with disabilities to better plan their commutes and enabling third-party apps to offer more accurate information, thus reducing the impact of unexpected outages.
Forces the MTA to rethink elevator reliability and station design. , not just installing new elevators but also requiring better maintenance, minimizing service disruptions, and ensuring new elevators provide comparable convenience and speed to stairs, improving the daily experience for all users with mobility needs.
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Who cares
Subway riders with disabilities
The bill would require 50 additional accessible stations in the 2020–2024 capital program and 130 in the 2025–2029 program, alongside systemwide accessibility features and improved elevator reliability.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
The authority would have to publish station-prioritization criteria, detail accessibility improvements in capital plans and design, fund and implement an elevator and wheelchair lift management plan.
Seniors and disability advocates
Station-prioritization criteria would have to consider senior and disabled populations, poverty rates, geographic coverage and proximity to destinations including medical centers and senior centers.
Third-party smartphone app developers
The MTA would have to create an API providing access to its data on elevator performance, outages and station accessibility.
Headline styles
Make Subways Fully Accessible
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
2 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to transportation
- Referred to transportation
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Make Subways Fully Accessible
In Assembly Committee · Corporations, Authorities And Commissions · Sponsor Jeffrey Dinowitz
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
S. 6150 A. 7753
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
SENATE - ASSEMBLY
May 20, 2019
IN SENATE -- Introduced by Sens. GOUNARDES, RAMOS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
IN ASSEMBLY -- Introduced by M. of A. DINOWITZ, L. ROSENTHAL, CARROLL -read once and referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
AN ACT to amend the transportation law and the public authorities law, in relation to full mass transit accessibility for facilities operated by the metropolitan transportation authority
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The transportation law is amended by adding a new section 15-d to read as follows:
§ 15-d. Accessible transportation. 1. The New York city accessible transportation system shall include access by individuals with disabilities to rapid transit services through the renovation of an additional fifty subway stations operated by the metropolitan transportation authority (the "authority"), beyond the number of stations currently accessible within five years as part of the authority's two thousand twenty - two thousand twenty-four capital program, and one hundred thirty new accessible stations as part of the two thousand twenty-five - two thousand twenty-nine capital program, as provided for in this section.
2. The authority shall develop criteria to determine how to best prioritize subway stations for accessibility improvements. The criteria shall include, but not be limited to: citywide geographic coverage; transit transfer options; annual ridership volume; census tract data for senior and disabled populations and percentage of those populations in poverty; residential density of surrounding neighborhoods; and proximity to medical centers, schools, parks, business districts, cultural hubs and senior centers. Such criteria shall be made publicly available as
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10969-03-9
S. 6150 2 A. 7753
well as the methodology used to establish the criteria. Maximum possible accessibility shall be achieved by end of the two thousand thirty - two thousand thirty-four capital program.
3. By December thirty-first, two thousand nineteen, enhanced elevator outage and alternate station routing information for all elevators that permit entrance into or egress from subway stations, whether owned by the metropolitan transportation authority or privately owned, shall be made available in real time, updated as necessary to provide current, accurate information on the system's website and kiosks and distributed through email, mobile app, and text alerts and other electronic communication systems. In addition, the authority shall create an Application Programming Interface (API) to allow third party smartphone applications to access data on elevator performance and outages and station accessibility that is available in the data of the authority.
4. The two thousand twenty - two thousand twenty-four capital program plan shall accelerate installation of consistent accessibility features including, but not limited to, taking reasonable steps to eliminate any gaps between station platforms and vehicle floors that are in excess of the amount permitted by applicable regulations, maintaining audio and visual announcement equipment in audible and operable condition sufficient to enable passengers with visual or hearing impairments and other disabilities to be oriented to their location, and fare gates that are fully accessible to people with disabilities. Such accessibility features shall be installed at every subway station operated by the authority no later then December thirty-first, two thousand twenty-four.
5. All future station enhancement plans or long-term station closures or renovations of six months or longer shall include full accessibility as a key element of such plans.
6. The authority shall revise maintenance practices to improve reliability of elevators and wheelchair lifts at all rapid transit stations.
7. The authority shall design, fund and implement an elevator and wheelchair lift management plan to provide continuous, uninterrupted elevator service during all passenger service hours, subject only to temporary and isolated elevator outages for repairs, maintenance and inspections.
8. For stations undergoing renovation, elevators shall be designed and sited so that riders who need stair-free access have similar access/egress time and ease of use as those who do not need stair-free access.
§ 2. Section 1269-b of the public authorities law is amended by adding a new subdivision 10 to read as follows:
10. Capital program plans submitted in accordance with this section shall include specific, detailed steps to be taken to increase station accessibility in accordance with section fifteen-d of the transportation law until such time as one hundred percent accessibility of stations is achieved.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the transportation law and the public authorities law, in relation to full mass transit accessibility for facilities operated by the metropolitan transportation authority
Purpose
This bill will require the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) take steps to ensure full accessibility of subway stations operated by the Authority no later than 2034. The bill also requires certain infor- mation be made available to the public to assist them in locating acces- sible subway stations.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 amends the transportation law by adding section 15-d to estab- lish guidelines for subway station accessibility renovations. The section provides that that 50 additional subway stations, beyond the number of stations currently accessible, shall be made accessible within five years as part of the 2020-24 capital program, and 130 new accessi- ble stations as part of the 2025-29 capital program.
Read the full memo (1,110 words)
The MTA shall develop criteria for how to prioritize subway stations for accessibility improvements including citywide geographic coverage, tran- sit transfer options, annual ridership volume, census tract data for senior and disabled populations and percentage of those populations in poverty, residential density of surrounding neighborhoods, and proximity to medical centers, schools, parks, business districts, cultural hubs, and senior centers. Such criteria shall be publicly available as well as the methodology used for the criteria. Maximum possible accessibility shall be achieved by 2030-34 capital program plan.
By December 31, 2019, real-time, up to date, and accurate information regarding enhanced elevator outage and alternate station routing for all elevators that permit entrance and egress from subway stations shall be made available on the system's website and kiosks and distributed through email, mobile app, and text alerts or other electronic communi- cations systems. The MTA shall also create an Application Programming Interface to allow third party smartphone applications to access data on elevator performance, outages, and station accessibility.
The 2020-24 capital program plan shall accelerate installation of consistent accessibility features including but not limited to taking reasonable steps to eliminate any gaps between station platforms and vehicle floors that are in excess of the amount permitted by applicable regulations, maintaining audio and visual announcement equipment in audible and operable condition sufficient to enable passengers with visual and or hearing impairments and other disabilities to be oriented to their location, and fare gates that are full y accessible to people with disabilities. These features shall be installed at every subway station operated by the Authority no later than December 31, 2024.
All future enhancement plans or long-term station closures or reno- vations of six months or longer shall include full accessibility as a key element.
The MTA shall revise maintenance practices to improve reliability of elevators and wheelchair lifts at all rapid transit stations The MTA shall design, fund and implement an elevator and wheelchair lift manage- ment plan for continuous, uninterrupted service during all passenger service hours, subject only to temporary and isolated outages for repair, maintenance and inspections.
Stations undergoing renovations shall be designed and sited so that riders who need stair-free access have similar access/egress time and ease of use as those who do not need stair-free access.
Section 2 amends section 1269-b of the public authorities law by adding subdivision 10 requiring that capital program plans must include specif- ic, detailed steps to be taken to increase station accessibility until one hundred percent accessibility of stations is achieved.
Section 3 sets the effective date.
Justification
The New York City Subway system is among the least accessible major subway systems in the United States for people with disabilities and other mobility impairments. Following the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 and a subsequent lawsuit settlement by the MTA in 1994, the MTA agreed to bring 100 stations into compliance with ADA requirements. However, as the 100 Key Station Plan is nearing completion as part of the 2015-2019 capital program, there has not yet been an agreed upon plan to achieve full accessibility in the subway system. Notably, there have been numerous examples in recent years of significant station renovations in various subway stations throughout the city that did not include ADA improvements such as the installation of elevators, reduction of platform edge gaps, and other important aspects. The MTA has argued that they are exempt from New York City Human Rights Law that would otherwise require them to include accessi- bility during substantial renovations in all subway stations based on an interpretation of law that precludes ADA compliance improvements if they account for greater than a certain percentage of the total project cost. This legislation would clarify that the goal of the MTA should be to take every opportunity to increase accessibility, particularly when a station will be closed or renovated for longer than six months.
Currently, less than one-quarter of New York City's 472 subway stations are fully compliant with ADA regulations. This means that a transit user who requires use of an elevator or other accessibility features (such as people in wheelchairs, senior citizens who use walkers or canes, new parents with strollers, or passengers traveling with shopping carts or other bulky items) has only 5% of the trip-making capacity as someone who does not require use of an elevator. Furthermore, even when eleva- tors have been installed the equipment is often unreliable and informa- tion is not always accurate or current. According to a 2017 report from TransitCenter, MTA data indicates that the agency lowered elevator uptime (the amount of time an elevator is operable for riders) targets from 97.5% to 95.7% by the fourth quarter of 2016. This legislation would establish a commitment from the MTA to provide continued and unin- terrupted elevator service throughout the subway system.
In 2018, New York City Transit released their "Fast Forward" proposal to modernize New York City Transit. Included in this report was a priority to "Accelerate Accessibility" which set a goal of making 50+ stations accessible within 5 years (as part of the 2020-2024 capital program), 130 additional stations made accessible in the following five years (2025-2029 capital program), and the balance of all possible stations completed by 2034. Fast Forward also included goals to improve communi- cations for people with disabilities by improving accuracy and avail- ability of real-time information about elevators and escalators, accel- erated installation of consistent accessibility features, revised maintenance practices for elevators and wheelchair lifts, and redesigned fare gates for improved access. This legislation would codify these goals in state law, reinforcing New York's commitment to equal access to transit in New York City.
Legislative history
New bill.
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.