It ’s hard enough for most of us to get to work on clock time using the subway system — but envisage if you only had memory access to 25 percent of station . That ’s the world for wheelchair users in New York , for whom getting around the city is sometimes a near - impossible task . [ CORRECTION ]
The passing of the Americans With Disabilities Act – which happen 25 year ago this year – hasn’t had much wallop on the New York subway system of rules . After the day of remembrance of ADA roll around this summer , a identification number of compelling postsabout the flaws in the act included links to an interesting map draw in byMatthew Ahn , a New York - based lawyer and subway system partizan ( and theholder of the subway challenge recordfor confabulate every station on the mathematical function the firm , at 21 hours , 49 min , and 35 irregular ) .
The map below shows only those stations that are accessible . As Ahn told me , he got the idea for the map after he get wind the MTA ’s official “ night mapping , ” a beautiful blue - tinted reading of the MTA ’s subway single-valued function that indicate neutered night service . “ I find it queer that the MTA was unforced to put together a map for this role but not for accessibility purposes — although considering the identification number of inaccessible station , it wee-wee a lot of sense , ” Ahn told Gizmodo .
Here ’s the current MTA function :
And here ’s Ahn ’s single-valued function of the stations that are accessible to wheelchairs , which was very well-heeled to make , he aver . “ All approachable stations are marked on the main function , so it was actually passably easy to take it one by one and resolve ‘ do I erase this post ? yes ? okay . ’ ”
Of course , as he points out , the opening of the new 34 St / Hudson Yards station in the fourth dimension since he pull it mean that there ’s one approachable place missing .
While the MTA is struggling toliterally keep the light onin its 100 - yr - honest-to-god electric switch system , updates to the system ’s availableness have been slow . Meanwhile , the motorcoach organization is fragmented , and approachable cabs are toughened to find . In an in - depth report card look at the trouble on the day of remembrance of ADAby the Huffington Post , we find out that the problems widen far beyond the subway . Uber , for example , does n’t provide any accessible cars at all . And as the ride - sharing Robert William Service begins to seriously supervene upon the taxi system , the chances of getting a wheelchair - accessible car is getting even worse .
William Peace , who blogs about handiness and the rights of the disabled on his blogBad Cripple , also note the disparity in August . In his military post , he rails against the universal celebrations surround the ADA , pointing out how the law of nature has done valued little in many cities :
The ADA was a start , nothing more than a starting time that has not been supported by the general population of the United States . What I hear again and again is the ADA is an unfunded societal authorization . This disturbs me . The ADA is Civil Rights statute law design to protect the rights of people with a disablement . Frankly , the law is weak , poorly written , and ignore .
It ’s been a problemfor decades — but as new transportation system infrastructure come out in the bod of raw lines and new apps , like Uber and Lyft , it ’s time for us , and our government , to revisit the law and fight for one that actually affects change .
The MTA New York City Subway has more ADA - compliant Stations of the Cross than any other system in the country . We are ahead of docket on our program to make 100 Key Stations accessible by 2020 , with 85 completed , four underway , and the remaining 11 include in our next five - yr Capital Program ( which includes $ 561 million for approachability improvements ) . Those Key Stations were chosen based on ridership , transfer connections and propinquity to major goal . In addition , we have made 21 non - Key Stations accessible , and have allocate $ 100 million in our next Capital Program for additional non - primal stations .
[ SupraStructure;Bad Cripple ; h / tThe Society Pages . ]
get in touch with the author at[email protected ] .
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