MTA To Install Spikes, Paddles On Subway Turnstiles At Nearly Every Station

NEW YORK CITY — In an effort to reduce fare evasion in the subway system, the MTA has said it will install spikes and plastic paddles on subway station turnstiles at nearly every station.

The MTA will install the devices at 129 stations citywide by January. The agency has already installed spikes and paddles at 327 stations in the system.

The devices are meant to prevent people from jumping over the turnstiles, according to the MTA. They plan to spend $7.3 million to outfit all stations with the devices.

Demetrius Crichlow, New York City Transit President, said in a Dec. 15 committee meeting, that fare evasion have dropped by 60 percent since the devices have been installed.

“Some members of the public may think that these innovations just look funny,” Crichlow said. “But the truth of the matter is, these modifications work.”

The MTA are also set to fix turnstiles to prevent “backcocking,” which is when a person moves the turnstile backward to get through it without paying. In addition, the agency will pilot four different prototypes of fare gates at 20 stations this year.

The MTA has said that they are estimated to lose $400 million from subway fare evasion this year, up from $285 million in 2022.