Judge Sides With Disabled Riders, Orders MTA To Install Elevators At Stations Undergoing Renovations
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – The MTA has been ordered to install elevators inside subway stations that are undergoing construction if the work affects the station's accessibility.
On Wednesday, a court ruled the renovations at the Middletown Road station in the Bronx "impacted the station's usability."
This triggered the MTA's obligation under the Americans with Disabilities Act to install elevators.
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"The MTA is now on notice that whenever it renovates a subway station throughout its system so as to affect the station's usability, the MTA is obligated to install an elevator, regardless of the cost, unless it is technically infeasible. Individuals with disabilities have the same rights to use the New York City subway system as every other person. The Court's decision marks the end of the MTA treating people with disabilities as second-class citizens," U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said in a statement. "My Office will continue to work to ensure that the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act are enforced, and that everyone enjoys equal access to public transit in this District."
Berman said the obligation extends system wide, unless there are technical issues.