Bronx, NY – The death of a young mother who fell down non-ADA compliant subway stairs last Monday night has laid bare the urgent need to improve accessibility in New York’s mass transit system. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, who has vocally advocated for full ADA compliance throughout the entire New York City mass transit system, recently submitted a formal request for accessibility improvements to be made at two critical Metro-North stations in the Northwest Bronx. The request is similar to an ongoing campaign for accessibility improvements at Mosholu Parkway along the 4 train, which united transit advocates, community leaders, and elected officials around the cause and successfully pushed New York City Transit to begin designs for the station.

The two Metro-North stations, Spuyten Duyvil on the Hudson Line and Woodlawn on the Harlem Line, are heavily relied on by commuters who do not live close to the subway and for whom buses are not a practical alternative. The station at Spuyten Duyvil, located at the junction of the Harlem River and Hudson River, rests at the bottom of a hill and currently forces riders to climb three flights of stairs totaling approximately 40 feet in height. The station at Woodlawn, located near the Bronx River, has one flight of stairs totaling approximately 15 feet in height. Both stations have separate inbound and outbound platforms and will likely require multiple elevators to be fully compliant with ADA regulations.

The request was made in response to feedback Assemblyman Dinowitz received on his 19 Northwest Bronx Transit Priorities for 2019, which elicited widespread praise from advocates and constituents alike. Assemblyman Dinowitz has made several revisions to his priority list, and will continue to do so as more issues are brought to his attention. With a funding battle rapidly approaching, Northwest Bronx residents have made clear to Assemblyman Dinowitz that if they are expected to pay more to fund the MTA then they need to see tangible improvements to mass transit infrastructure in their own communities.

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D - Northwest Bronx) said: “Our community has always needed more accessible mass transit, but the tragedy of Ms. Goodson on Monday night has highlighted the very real fear that many people have every day when using or deciding not to use the subway and Metro-North. Even in context of the MTA’s horrible track record of shirking responsibility for ADA compliance, the Bronx has historically been underserved in terms of accessible mass transit. I am excited to see this attitude beginning to change with NYCT President Andy Byford’s Fast Forward proposal and urge Metro-North President Catherine Rinaldi to take a similar interest in accessibility for her system. Residents of the Northwest Bronx use all forms of transit to get where they need to go, and it all needs to be accessible to everyone.”