The Long Wait: Subway Challenges for the Disabled in New York City

[Nexis4Jersey 43]

 

[Kamen Rider 1,848]

Ok, I'm sorry, but this routine is full of it.

 

"Is the L acessible at 14th street? I can't tell from the map."

 

It's right there in black and white, ya moron!

 

little blue box with a wheel chair symbol ,,,....

 

Rocket Science this is not....

 

you know, I actually kinda felt sorry for the poor guy, until he came out with that load of BS.

[realizm 4,456]

There you have it. Kamen Rider's intense and articulated commentary on the video entitled "The Long Wait" (in so many words)! Lol.

 

Dude ok that comment the guy made did lack tact I admit, but damn give the guy a break. You should be fortunate you are not confined to a wheelchair. I know I am absolutely grateful to be able to walk and run every blessed day. 

 

Take it as constructive critisizm and not an insult. 

[azspeedbullet 57]

Ok, I'm sorry, but this routine is full of it.

 

"Is the L acessible at 14th street? I can't tell from the map."

 

It's right there in black and white, ya moron!

 

little blue box with a wheel chair symbol , , , ....

 

Rocket Science this is not....

 

you know, I actually kinda felt sorry for the poor guy, until he came out with that load of BS.

I think what he says in the video is somewhat true, the map does not clearly show/explain how the stations is accessible. Not all accessible stations have an elevator/escalator to the outside,some only go from the platform to the mezzanine

Edited January 19, 2013 by azspeedbullet

[Minato ku 631]

It is the problem with old subway system, it is almost impossible to make them wheelchair friendly.

Doing so would cost several tens of billion, some stations would have to be rebuilt entirely.

[Kamen Rider 1,848]

There you have it. Kamen Rider's intense and articulated commentary on the video entitled "The Long Wait" (in so many words)! Lol.

 

Dude ok that comment the guy made did lack tact I admit, but damn give the guy a break. You should be fortunate you are not confined to a wheelchair. I know I am absolutely grateful to be able to walk and run every blessed day. 

 

Take it as constructive critisizm and not an insult. 

 

being in a wheelchair is not an excuse not using one's brain. the map CEARLY shows he is wrong, and that makes it look an awful lot like he is twisting the facts for his sake. (that or he realy wanted an excuse to ride the ferry).

 

This is the problem I have with the world, I am the only one here treating the man as an actual equal by holding him to the same standards as I would hold anyone else with a working head on thier shoulders.

[realizm 4,456]

Well Ok you do have a point, some (SOME not all)people do like to unnecessarily use the disability card, don't leave home without it. Point well taken.

[NYCRailfan523 90]

I'm sure the whole subway may get full access to the disabled in 2050, I think so. 

[Roadcruiser1 284]

The subway will never be accessible for the disabled. It will cost way too much too make them all ADA friendly, but perhaps we can make all the important stations and terminals ADA friendly with bathrooms, and just leave the other stations the way they are.

 

Plus the already has Access A Ride for the disabled. That takes care of most of the problems. The buses are also accessible too. I don't see the subway needing to be accessible. Plus a better idea to solve the problem would be to make all taxis in NYC ADA friendly. That way the disabled can call a taxi and have the ability to get to their destination without interfering with the subway.

 

Not long ago we did have an ADA taxi proposal....

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd8IK-Bzw1ghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd8IK-Bzw1g

Edited January 20, 2013 by Roadcruiser1

[FamousNYLover 558]

It's also problem on NICE Bus because of lack funding for maintence, wheelchair lift/ramps on 1500s, 1600s, 1700s, 1800s except new ones 1840+up sometimes gets breakdown.

 

Sometimes when wheelchair passenger used ramp/lift, it gets break down and when wheelchair passengers try to get off to find out lift/ramps got broken, bus operators have to help her/him off the bus.

 

Lots of elderly ladies with walker don't trust lift/ramp, so sometimes some passengers help them onboard NICE Bus.

[Quill Depot 1,570]

The disabled are too much of a minority for subway. They will never naturally be fulfilled with the same accessible transport as their easily mobile counterparts.

[Kamen Rider 1,848]

That's why I've always said the enormus amounts of money that is spent to help a few people should be spent on medical resarch to help them all live fuller lives, possible even fix thier problem complety. Which would our scouter using friend prefer; an elevator at bedford avenue, or the full use of his legs back?  

Edited January 20, 2013 by Kamen Rider

[peacemak3r 1,351]

"Is the L acessible at 14th street? I can't tell from the map."

 

To add on to this, he was originally complaining that he couldn't take the from Bedford Avenue to 14th Street originally then wonders if there was wheelchair access going the other route.  It's like he totally forgot what he said 4 minutes ago.

[CenSin 3,248]

That's why I've always said the enormus amounts of money that is spent to help a few people should be spent on medical resarch to help them all live fuller lives, possible even fix thier problem complety. Which would our scouter using friend prefer; an elevator at bedford avenue, or the full use of his legs back?  

Some people are also "disabled" because they eat too much. Let's tackle bad habits and nip the problem at the bud. The remaining number of people who are truly disabled—I believe—is smaller.

[N4 Via Merrick Rd 234]

Let's remember that there is Bus service that IS 100% wheelchair accessible so in that case not EVERY station needs an elevator.And also the site has a link where it explains where each elevator is in the stations.

[QM1to6Ave 1,688]

We pay tons and tons of money for access-a-ride for a reason...so disable people can use it! Now, I realize that it can be a hassle to schedule trips in advance. But as long as you are willing to pay up front and are in a wheelchair rather than a scooter, you can take a cab and get reimburesed by access-a-ride. If you are in a scooter, I do understand that it can be difficult to get a cab, but again, every single bus in the system is accessible, and all of the never ones have that simple ramp feature. 

 

I have a few scooter-bound friends who all use the bus to get around and never complain at all. In fact, most times the B/O won't even make them pay for the ride. 

[Grand Concourse 2,690]

None of the w/c riders I see getting on ever pays, but another person said it might be some honor system thing where the rider pays upfront to the MTA or something. Either way for all the time spent to get them loaded onto the bus and secured, you'd think the least they could do is hand the b/o a MC to dip in the box or carry one of those passes to show...

[realizm 4,456]

That's why I've always said the enormus amounts of money that is spent to help a few people should be spent on medical resarch to help them all live fuller lives, possible even fix thier problem complety. Which would our scouter using friend prefer; an elevator at bedford avenue, or the full use of his legs back? 

 

Now that makes some serious sense. Totally agree.

 

Some people are also "disabled" because they eat too much.

 

Lol

[QM1to6Ave 1,688]

None of the w/c riders I see getting on ever pays, but another person said it might be some honor system thing where the rider pays upfront to the MTA or something. Either way for all the time spent to get them loaded onto the bus and secured, you'd think the least they could do is hand the b/o a MC to dip in the box or carry one of those passes to show...

 

Nah, there is no honor system. One of my good friends who is wheelchair-bound always dips his Metrocard in the box, but told me that nobody ever forces him to pay and he never gets a letter from the MTA or anything, since he does not need to schedule a trip ahead of time, unlike in the past when not all buses were accessible. 

[N4 Via Merrick Rd 234]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="QM1to6Ave" data-cid="634871" data-time="1358699670"><p>

We pay tons and tons of money for access-a-ride for a reason...so disable people can use it! Now, I realize that it can be a hassle to schedule trips in advance. But as long as you are willing to pay up front and are in a wheelchair rather than a scooter, you can take a cab and get reimburesed by access-a-ride. If you are in a scooter, I do understand that it can be difficult to get a cab, but again, every single bus in the system is accessible, and all of the never ones have that simple ramp feature. <br />

<br />

I have a few scooter-bound friends who all use the bus to get around and never complain at all. In fact, most times the B/O won't even make them pay for the ride.</p></blockquote> I think Wheelchaired customers don't have to pay the fare.

 

I do think that some elevators at Lex/63rd and City hall do immediately need to be replaced.

[Grand Concourse 2,690]

Well they should, if they want special treatment, the very least they could do is pay for the service used. I'd be pissed off if the bus I was on had to be taken out of service because the lift breaks down.

[AndrewJC 795]

I think what he says in the video is somewhat true, the map does not clearly show/explain how the stations is accessible. Not all accessible stations have an elevator/escalator to the outside,some only go from the platform to the mezzanine

 

Not true. The wheelchair symbol means that a customer in a wheelchair can get from the platform to the street and vice versa.

 

And if he was somehow uncertain about accessibility from the L platform at Union Square, why didn't he open a bus map? The M14 could have taken him there from 14th and 8th, and depending on how far he can maneuver without a bus, he probably could have taken the M103 up from Broadway-Lafayette in even less time. The ferry was clearly the worst possible option for this trip.

 

None of the w/c riders I see getting on ever pays, but another person said it might be some honor system thing where the rider pays upfront to the MTA or something. Either way for all the time spent to get them loaded onto the bus and secured, you'd think the least they could do is hand the b/o a MC to dip in the box or carry one of those passes to show...

 

This is the fare policy for wheelchair customers:

 

If you use an assistive mobility device (e.g., a wheelchair, scooter, etc.) to board via the middle or rear door, the bus operator will give you a postage-paid, pre-addressed envelope; you can then pay your fare by mail. Some newer buses have a ramp in front to accommodate people who have a mobility challenge, which allows these customers to use the farebox.

 

Until the late 90's, all wheelchair boarding was at the rear door, and since there's no way to enforce the pay-your-fare-by-mail policy, many wheelchair customers never paid and probably thought they weren't even expected to pay. Even though most buses nowadays have wheelchair ramps at the front, no bus operator wants to get into an argument with a wheelchair customer over the fare policy.

[QM1to6Ave 1,688]

This is the fare policy for wheelchair customers:

 

 

Until the late 90's, all wheelchair boarding was at the rear door, and since there's no way to enforce the pay-your-fare-by-mail policy, many wheelchair customers never paid and probably thought they weren't even expected to pay. Even though most buses nowadays have wheelchair ramps at the front, no bus operator wants to get into an argument with a wheelchair customer over the fare policy.

 

Lol. I have never once seen a B/O pull out that envelope. Even if somebody actually mailed it in, the cost to the MTA for the postal shipping would kill any profit anyway. 

[alejr88 327]

I too have never seen any wheelchair customer pay the fare on an NYCT bus, but I have seen some disabled passengers on the Bee Line pay the fare.

[Grand Concourse 2,690]

I would think that if the person is a daily rider, why not issue the person a pass to wear and cost maybe half to 3/4 the value of an unlimited pass? At least that way the person needs only monthly mailings and the mta still gets its money. That or now that there are more lf buses, they can give the B/o the card to dip and be on the way. Like I said, before, why should I be paying when they don't? They get special treatment, at the very least they should pay for services used. Not to mention how they are holding up everyone for up to 3-5 min.

Edited January 21, 2013 by Grand Concourse