Any advice for a wheelchair user wary of using the subway?

[Kraps]

I recently started using the bus sometimes and the sense of freedom is exhilarating, and I really want to try taking the subway, but I'm worried about the mechanics of it, like the gaps and elevator reliability.

 

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[Via Garibaldi 8]

Take the express bus if there's one near you and you go to Manhattan. Problem solved. My neighborhood has several wheelchair/disabled folks and they're on the bus regularly.

[SmallParkShuttle]

 

 

I recently started using the bus sometimes and the sense of freedom is exhilarating, and I really want to try taking the subway, but I'm worried about the mechanics of it, like the gaps and elevator reliability.

 

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Hey, kudos for you for the challenge! My best advice for you is to stay as close to the conductor's position as you can to ensure that you're given enough time to board. Typically most platforms at accessible stations are given attention to accommodate wheelchairs, though at some stations it amounts to a piece of plywood anchored to the platform at the door locations to minimize the vertical difference. The gap at most stations is ok, again major and accessible stations tend to get more attention. Of course, look before you board and disembark the train.

 

Being a father of three young'ns, I've had pretty decent reliability with the elevators at major stations, though the smell you get in an elevator is the luck of the draw with casino odds.

 

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[Via Garibaldi 8]

Hey, kudos for you for the challenge! My best advice for you is to stay as close to the conductor's position as you can to ensure that you're given enough time to board. Typically most platforms at accessible stations are given attention to accommodate wheelchairs, though at some stations it amounts to a piece of plywood anchored to the platform at the door locations to minimize the vertical difference. The gap at most stations is ok, again major and accessible stations tend to get more attention. Of course, look before you board and disembark the train.

 

Being a father of three young'ns, I've had pretty decent reliability with the elevators at major stations, though the smell you get in an elevator is the luck of the draw with casino odds.

 

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I think the real challenge is whether or not this person even has access to an elevator if there's a subway near them.

[SmallParkShuttle]

I think the real challenge is whether or not this person even has access to an elevator if there's a subway near them.

Understandable, but it really wasn't brought up in the OP. You can almost say the same thing about access to an express bus; great if you are near it, but you still gotta get to it. It is possible to take a local bus to a station that is accessible, depending on where you are.

 

The wonderful thing is that though most stations are not accessible, the accessible stations are distributed enough to give the mobility impaired a great degree of freedom to move in this city on their own.

 

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[Via Garibaldi 8]

Understandable, but it really wasn't brought up in the OP. You can almost say the same thing about access to an express bus; great if you are near it, but you still gotta get to it. It is possible to take a local bus to a station that is accessible, depending on where you are.

 

The wonderful thing is that though most stations are not accessible, the accessible stations are distributed enough to give the mobility impaired a great degree of freedom to move in this city on their own.

 

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lol... It's funny you say that because the current lawsuit against the argues the complete opposite.  Let's assume that they can actually access the subway and there isn't any backtracking involved. Then yes go for the subway, but if there's an express bus by, it may be faster than the subway if they have to get off at another stop because their stop (be it their home stop or the place they're getting off) isn't ADA accessible. They're already using the bus (unlike our subways, ALL buses ARE wheelchair accessible), so it isn't that wild of an idea.  In fact the buses now have become much better in getting people on and off faster with disabilities.  Oddly enough I used to see more disabled people on subways than I do now and there has to be a good reason for that, hence my suggestion.

[SmallParkShuttle]

I'm just answering the question. Let the OP come to his/her own opinion. He/she wants to try the subway. "Don't do it" doesn't help if he/she is planning on doing it anyway.

 

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[Via Garibaldi 8]

I'm just answering the question. Let the OP come to his/her own opinion. He/she wants to try the subway. "Don't do it" doesn't help if he/she is planning on doing it anyway.

 

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So am I.  I didn't say don't do it. What I said was if the stations they're going to are accessible, then yes take the subway.  Given the fact that 75% of the system is NOT accessible, it is something they would be wise to consider before taking the trip.  Now that such information has been put out there (pros vs. cons) a decision from them would be much easier to reach.  It may seem like they should just go out and do it but if I was I disabled, I would want to know all of my options before coming to a conclusion to save myself the hassle beforehand.

[SmallParkShuttle]

So am I. I didn't say don't do it. What I said was if the stations they're going to are accessible, then yes take the subway. Given the fact that 75% of the system is NOT accessible, it is something they would be wise to consider before taking the trip. Now that such information has been put out there (pros vs. cons) a decision from them would be much easier to reach. It may seem like they should just go out and do it but if I was I disabled, I would want to know all of my options before coming to a conclusion to save myself the hassle beforehand.

Great, now the OP has multiple angles. Anyone else on tips or observations on navigating the subway by wheelchair?

 

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[Lance]

I recently started using the bus sometimes and the sense of freedom is exhilarating, and I really want to try taking the subway, but I'm worried about the mechanics of it, like the gaps and elevator reliability.

 

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Rather than give you some general advise based on assumptions and hypothetical trips, it'd be easier to determine whether a subway trip is a viable alternative to your current transportation methods if we knew where you were coming from, and where you were going.

 

For information on elevator outages, see here. As a heads up, several stations listed there, including 51 Street and Brooklyn Bridge are due to elevator replacement, which lasts for several months.

[Kraps]

There is an accessible station fairly near where I live in Kensington, and I've been thinking about taking the train to Jay St and then the bus into Williamsburg where I work, and the reverse going back. I also looked at routes to Cornell where my doctors are.

 

I've gotten pretty good at figuring out routes (read: using map apps) so I probably wouldn't be totally lost if a destination station had a broken elevator, it just worries me and is not a good feeling.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

There is an accessible station fairly near where I live in Kensington, and I've been thinking about taking the train to Jay St and then the bus into Williamsburg where I work, and the reverse going back. I also looked at routes to Cornell where my doctors are.

 

I've gotten pretty good at figuring out routes (read: using map apps) so I probably wouldn't be totally lost if a destination station had a broken elevator, it just worries me and is not a good feeling.

Since you live in Kensington, you should be aware of the fact that there are express buses that run Cortelyou Rd that can carry you into Manhattan.  Might as well ride in comfort if you need to.  The BM1, BM2, BM3 & BM4 all stop there, so you have service fairly frequently for a good portion of the day.

[SmallParkShuttle]

 

 

There is an accessible station fairly near where I live in Kensington, and I've been thinking about taking the train to Jay St and then the bus into Williamsburg where I work, and the reverse going back. I also looked at routes to Cornell where my doctors are.

 

I've gotten pretty good at figuring out routes (read: using map apps) so I probably wouldn't be totally lost if a destination station had a broken elevator, it just worries me and is not a good feeling.

I understand the concern about the elevator situation, it would not be fun. There are a couple alternative routes available to you if the elevator at Jay St goes down, which you can check out and determine if any would work for you. You do not have a lot of options in Kensington though. At least there is the elevator outage site that Lance linked earlier.

 

If you end up taking the train, let us know how it went!

 

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[Lawrence St]

Oh so they are replacing the elevators at City Hall. Good, those old elevators were slow and would always make creaking noises.