MTA sued by feds over lack of subway accessibility

The MTA has been hit with yet another lawsuit and this time it’s from the feds.

United States Attorney Geoffrey Berman has filed suit against the MTA for failing to make its newly renovated subway stations accessible to the disabled, reports the New York Post. The Middletown Road station in the Bronx is specifically mentioned in the lawsuit as one of the agency’s stations that has been renovated within the past two years but is still not wheelchair accessible.

“There is no justification for public entities to ignore the requirements of the ADA 28 years after its passage,” said Berman. “The subway system is a vital part of New York City’s transportation system, and when a subway station undergoes a complete renovation, MTA and NYCTA must comply with its obligations to make such stations accessible to the maximum extent feasible.”

Last April, the MTA was hit with a pair of class action lawsuits, alleging discrimination against people with disabilities, from a group of disability organizers and disabled residents. Given that out of the MTA’s 472 subway stations, only 117— or 20 percent are accessible, it’s safe to say that the suits have some merit.

For the MTA’s part, the agency has stated that due to the enormous cost of making every station wheelchair accessible, it simply can’t be done. The agency did not immediately return a request for comment when contacted by the Post.

• Feds sue MTA over lack of wheelchair accessibility at stations [New York Post]
• NYC subway’s lack of accessibility at the center of two class action lawsuits [Curbed]
• Here’s what the NYC subway map looks like with just accessible stations [Curbed]