Audit reveals poor conditions for subway emergency exits in New York City
NEW YORK — A power outage last week left thousands of subway riders in Brooklyn stranded underground. Some had to use emergency exits, and now, a report finds parts of that infrastructure is in a hazardous state of disrepair.
Tripping hazards, structural cracks, exposed wiring and corrosion are just some of the conditions revealed in a new audit report released by the MTA Inspector General's Office, the independent oversight body for the MTA.
The audit focused on passageways largely unseen by riders but used for maintenance and relied on in emergencies.
"This is particularly important here because it involves safety," MTA Inspector General Daniel Cort said.
A reminder of the importance of safe and functional emergency exits came just days ago when a power outage forced thousands of passengers in Brooklyn to evacuate through underground tunnels.
The problems across five boroughs cited in the audit are not only structural but also procedural.
"I think the most important thing is the timeliness of repairs," Cort said.
His office found the MTA often failed to make repairs within a designated 90-day period.
MTA "confident" they can conduct evacuations safely
The MTA suggested at a conference Thursday that the findings were overblown and did not account for temporary conditions.
"If the unfortunate event comes that we have to evacuate, we're confident that we can do it safely," New York City Transit president Demetrius Crichlow said.
"It is scary," Passengers United president Charlton D'souza said. "It's dangerous and downright unacceptable."
He said the results of the audit are especially concerning for riders with limited mobility.
"When you have elderly people trying to do an emergency rescue and there's no railing, that, to me, is a serious flaw," he said.
The Office of the Inspector General has issued a series of recommendations for the MTA and says it will follow up to make necessary changes are made.
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