6 MARCH 10, 2022 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
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Schumer, Meng lead rally in Rego Park,
call for accessible subway renovations
BY JULIA MORO
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
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U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer,
Congresswoman Grace Meng
and transit activists gathered
at the Rego Park 63rd Drive station
to urge New York state to make accessibility
upgrades to subway stations
across the city.
The Infrastructure and Jobs
Act that was passed last year will
send an estimated $11 billion to the
MTA, and federal leaders Schumer
and Meng are now calling on state
representatives to do their part and
allocate the money to much-needed
transit upgrades.
“Unfortunately, in this diverse
city, public transit has fallen short
on meeting the needs for a part of
our community for far too long and
that has to change,” Schumer said.
“This station in Rego Park is located
on a subway artery that’s essential
to moving residents into Manhattan,
but it is not accessible — that makes
it impossible for all riders to use it. It
isn’t public transit unless the whole
public can use it.”
Community members and grassroots
organizations spoke about
how difficult it is to get around the
city when a subway station does not
have an elevator. Currently, only 114
subway stations out of 472 total stations
are following the Americans
with Disabilities Act regulations.
Eman Rimawi, an organizer with
New York Lawyers for the Public Interest
and an amputee, said that she
has never lived near an accessible
train station.
“If only 24% of the system is
accessible and Access-A-Ride is
horrible that leaves us with no
options,” Rimawi said. “I can take
an Uber every once in a while, but
not everybody has that luxury. It is
federal law by ADA compliance that
they upgrade stations. We’re not
asking for a handout, we’re asking
you to follow federal law.”
Governor Kathy Hochul announced
major transit infrastructure
investments that would
Eman Rimawi, an amputee, speaks about how diffi cult it is to get around the city when most subway stations
don’t have elevators. Photo by Julia Moro
upgrade Penn Station and expand
the Second Avenue subway. However,
riders are asking leaders to
prioritize installing an elevator at
every subway station across the city.
“As money from the federal infrastructure
bill continues to fl ow to New
York, it is critical for the city and state
to make sure that funding is directed
towards installing elevators at the
Queens subway and LIRR stations
that need them,” Meng said. “All of
my constituents deserve easy access
to our subway and LIRR stops. They
should not be out of reach to anybody.
It is time to fi nally ensure equal access
to our mass transit system.”
Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi also
joined the federal representatives
and activists, promising to hold his
state colleagues and the MTA accountable
to make these changes.
“We are going to be all over the
MTA to make sure that the money
our federal colleagues fought for
and brought back doesn’t get wasted,
sitting in some account somewhere;
instead it goes to elevators here and
other places in Queens,” Hevesi said.
MTA Construction and Development
President Jamie Torres-Springer
said that the MTA hears the voices
of the community and agrees that
these accessibility improvements
needs to be made.
“The MTA’s budget reflects this
priority, dedicating $5.2 billion
throughout 2020-2024 in capital
spending to complete accessibility
upgrades at 70 subway stations and
another $580 million to replace elevators
at another 35 — the largest
investment in accessibility in New
York City Transit history,” Torres-
Springer said. “So does our focus
on using innovative methods like
design-build and public-private
partnerships to deliver projects
more efficiently, on-budget and with
the highest long-term maintenance
standards.”
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