This NYC Subway Elevator Only Works Half The Time

PROSPECT HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — Good luck going to see a Nets game if you're in a wheelchair. The elevator that brings straphangers to the entrance of the Barclays Center arena was working just half the time in the first six months of the year, according to an analysis by TransitCenter, an advocacy group.

That's the worst of nine poorly maintained elevators run by eight private companies that only worked 81 percent of the time from January to June, Transit Center's analysis shows — a rate well below that of the MTA's elevators.

"It is, frankly, greedy for real estate developers to reap financial rewards to build station elevators near their buildings only to stop maintaining them after the ribbon is cut," Colin Wright, an advocacy associate at TransitCenter, said at a Monday news conference.

The nine "el-evaders," as the group called them, are the worst of the subway system's more than 40 privately run elevators, Wright said.

Developers agree to install and maintain the elevators in exchange for concessions such as the right to erect buildings arger than allowed under the city's zoning code, according to TransitCenter.

The worst offenders were out of service on a total of 301 days, an average of 33 days per elevator, TransitCenter says. Six of them serve busy stations such as Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center, Jay Street-MetroTech, 42nd Street-Bryant Park and 42nd Street-Port Authority Bus Terminal.

The Barclays Center elevator near the intersection of Flatbush and Atlantic avenues was working just 52 percent of the time and was out of service on 88 days, the analysis found. That's effectively the only station accessible to Park Slope wheelchair users.

The privately run elevators are in dismal shape compared to the MTA's, which were available 96.4 percent of the time in the first half of the year, according to TransitCenter.

The 81-percent availability rate means disabled riders face a guaranteed chance of missing two or more trips a week because of a busted elevator, said Chris Pangilinan, a TransitCenter program director who uses a wheelchair.

"That means I'm not making it to work," Pangilinan said. "That means folks that work here at the Barclays Center or that want to go see a game, they're not able to rely on this elevator and make their jobs on time."

The bad elevators are part of a subway system in which just about a quarter of the stations are accessible to disabled straphangers. New York City Transit President Andy Byford's "Fast Forward" overhaul plan includes accessibility upgrades that would ultimately ensure no one is more than two stations away from an accessible stop.

Advocates called on private developers to make sure their station elevators work as well as those in their buildings. But the MTA should also create stiffer penalties for poor maintenance to hold the companies accountable, they said.

And the state Legislature should find a way to pay for Byford's planned improvements so straphangers aren't left stranded, advocates said.

"Responsibility rests with us elected officials and the city and state government as well," said City Councilman Brad Lander, a Brooklyn Democrat whose district includes the Barclays Center elevator. "We have not been demanding, have not been funding, have not been part of the solution. And for years now we've had this downward cycle of failure to provide access."

An MTA spokesman said the agency is working with private companies to improve elevator availability, but did not say what penalties exist for failing to maintain elevators.

"Our private sector partners must do their part to keep their parts of subway stations in good working order and we’re working closely with them to improve elevator and escalator availability and improve communication to customers when there is an outage," the spokesman, Shams Tarek, said in an email.

A spokesperson at Barclays Center acknowledged the issues with the elevator there and said a new operator is being brought in to address them.

"We are well aware of the elevator’s operational issues and are frustrated that this is not resolved," the spokesperson, Mandy Gutmann, said in a statement. "The elevator manufacturer went out of business and as a result, the original parts are not available. We are working diligently to correct the problem by bringing in a new operator that will overhaul the parts and service it."

(Lead image: Chris Pangilinan of TransitCenter speaks at a news conference outside Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Monday. Photo by Noah Manskar/Patch)