MTA’s New Subway Turnstiles Under Fire

It seems the new gates aren’t quite deterring fare violators as intended. Reports indicate that problems persist.

The MTA’s latest subway turnstiles are facing strong criticism for being, well, “easy to breach.” On Monday, an elderly man with a cane was seen effortlessly bypassing the fare at a station in Manhattan.

This new approach to combating fare evasion hasn’t gone over well with riders or even some MTA officials. They shared with the Post that the sliding plexiglass doors are “no better than turnstile systems” and could actually cause serious injuries.

“It’s really simple to evade the fare just by sticking close to someone else. I’m here all day watching folks do it. We can’t do anything about it,” an MTA official at the Broadway-Lafayette subway station said.

Earlier, police showed up but reportedly didn’t take any action.

After the morning rush in Manhattan, the Post observed at least six people slip through the “paddle door” gates at the East Houston and Broadway entrances in about an hour, including one fare evader using a cane.

Interestingly, MTA representatives noted a homeless man struggling underneath the gate.

It seems for those looking to dodge the $2.90 fare, it’s pretty straightforward to follow other commuters into the system.

“Sometimes, it’s just homeless individuals that manage to get low enough to sneak under, but they’re not the only ones. I saw someone climbing over last week,” said the worker. “If someone falls trying that and gets hurt, there’ll be legal consequences.”

An MTA spokesperson insisted that these new fare gates are part of a pilot program, leveraging technology from transit systems globally.

“We’re assessing their effectiveness and continually gathering insights on how to create modern, functional turnstiles for New York City,” said the spokesperson.

This fare upgrade effort is expected to cost around $1.1 billion, with new turnstiles set to be installed at 150 subway stations in the upcoming years.

So far, about 20 stations have tested three different gate designs from various vendors before a final decision is made, according to the MTA.

At Lafayette Station, an alarm sounds with four beeps when a person pays the fare, although the alarm can also go off if a commuter just lingers at an open gate.

One rider, Frank Cumming, expressed that these recent attempts seem like a “waste of money.”

“People are getting through anyway, and that’s bound to backfire. We’re likely to see lawsuits, which will end up costing more than what we might save from fare evasion,” the 45-year-old commented.

A concerning incident captured on Instagram showed a young girl with her head caught between the two doors at Broadway-Lafayette Station, raising alarm about safety.

Another passenger, Kyung Kim, voiced skepticism about reducing fare evasion while also bringing up safety concerns.

“I don’t think these gates are better than traditional turnstiles. This is way too expensive for something ineffective,” Kim said. “I honestly don’t get why they’re trying this in a public space when it would be better tested elsewhere.”

An MTA official mentioned they thought the new system could reduce fare evasion but recognized it might create issues for passengers.

“People struggle to move their heads, and backpacks can’t fit. It simply isn’t going to work,” the official stated.

Despite installing spikes and flaps above the turnstile bars, the MTA estimates they lost about $400 million to fare evasion last year.

In addition to tackling fare dodging, the new gates are supposed to improve passenger flow and speed up access to and from the stations. Starting January 4, fares will increase by 10 cents to $3.