A short time ago, State Sen. Daniel Squadron released a report documenting the worst subway stations in his district, which covers Lower Manhattan and sections of Brooklyn.
Over the summer, 52 stations in the 26th State Senate District were evaluated for seven conditions: ponding, leaking water, graffiti, broken stairs, deteriorating walls, rodents and trash. You might be surprised to learn that the Lower East Side’s stations scored generally better than those in some other neighborhoods. According to the report, these were the worst offenders:
- Canal Street (1)
- Borough Hall (2/3)
- Rector Street (R)
- Broad Street (J/Z)
- Broadway-Lafayette Street (B/D/F/M)
- Canal Street (A/C/E)
- Franklin Street (1)
- Second Avenue (F)
- Wall Street (2/3).
Five out of 7 conditions were observed at the 2nd Avenue, Bowery and East Broadway stations. At Delancey Street, three conditions (ponding, graffiti and trash) were recorded.
In 2014, the SPaCE Block Association launched a campaign for improvements at the East Broadway station. Although the MTA said it could not order a full station rehabilitation, Squadron persuaded the agency to spruce up the waiting areas and stairwells. Reps from the block association say they’re grateful for that (the East Broadway station likely would have been a top offender if the survey had been conducted a couple of years ago). As you can see from the photo posted above, however, conditions aren’t exactly perfect. But progress is progress.
In a statement, Squadron said:
Surveying all 53 stations in my district showed the good, the bad, and the ugly of our subways… It’s good that most stations had fewer than half of the surveyed conditions. It’s bad that so many of the surveyed conditions we saw are easily fixable. And it’s downright ugly that nine of the stations had more than a 50% failure rate. Hopefully our recommendations can get the bad, and the ugly, to good. I thank Riders Alliance, Straphangers Campaign, Tri-State Transportation Campaign, community members and my colleagues for joining our call today for community engagement and a fully funded capital plan.
You can see the full report below.
