{"id":1812,"date":"2019-09-27T14:43:22","date_gmt":"2019-09-27T14:43:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/press\/?p=1812"},"modified":"2019-09-27T14:43:22","modified_gmt":"2019-09-27T14:43:22","slug":"speaker-corey-johnson-and-city-council-release-report-on-zoning-tools-to-speed-up-ada-accessibility-in-the-new-york-city-subway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/press\/2019\/09\/27\/1812\/","title":{"rendered":"SPEAKER COREY JOHNSON AND CITY COUNCIL RELEASE REPORT ON ZONING TOOLS TO SPEED UP ADA ACCESSIBILITY IN THE NEW YORK CITY SUBWAY"},"content":{"rendered":"

Announce Joint Effort with the MTA and Department of City Planning to Advance Proposals in the Coming Year<\/em><\/p>\n

New York, NY<\/strong> \u2013 Building on a proposal in the \u201cLet\u2019s
\nGo\u201d report from his State of the City address this year, New York City Council
\nSpeaker Corey Johnson joined Land Use Chair Rafael Salamanca, Zoning
\nSubcommittee Chair Francisco Moya, and Committee on Aging Chair Margaret Chin
\nto call for the expansion of zoning tools to better coordinate private
\ndevelopment with expanding transit accessibility for the disabled community and
\nall New Yorkers. <\/p>\n

Despite recent progress, today fewer than 25% of the 493
\nsubway and Staten Island Railway (SIR) stations are fully ADA-accessible. While
\nthe MTA has committed to fund accessibility at 70 new stations in its upcoming
\nCapital Programs, this still leaves hundreds of stations without plans for ADA
\naccess implementation. <\/p>\n

Using zoning tools to incentivize or require private
\ndevelopment projects to incorporate subway station access improvements could,
\nover time, save millions of capital dollars that could be allocated to
\nadditional stations \u2013 allowing New York to achieve the ultimate goal of
\nsystem-wide ADA access faster and at less public expense.<\/p>\n

Over the coming year, the City Council will work closely
\nwith the MTA, Department of City Planning, and the transit and disability
\nadvocacy communities to advance the proposals outlined in \u201cZoning for Transit
\nAccessibility.\u201d<\/p>\n

To accompany the report, the Council also released an
\ninteractive online map of subway system accessibility available on the Council website<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cAll New Yorkers deserve equal access to their city and we
\nmust do everything in our power to accelerate the implementation of ADA
\naccessibility in the transit system,\u201d said Speaker Corey Johnson. <\/strong>\u201cZoning
\nis a tool that the City has within our control and with stronger and more
\nwidely applied zoning tools, we can ensure that developers who build near
\nsubway stations coordinate with the MTA and help deliver the station
\nimprovements like elevators that we so desperately need.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOn a daily basis, millions of New Yorkers are denied access
\nto some of the most basic fundamental services because of a subway system that
\nlacks full accessibility,\u201d stated Council Member Rafael Salamanca, Chair of
\nthe Committee on Land Use.<\/strong> \u201cTo be a city that serves everyone, we must
\nexplore all options, including zoning incentives within private developments,
\nto achieve the goal of system-wide accessibility.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExpanding New Yorkers\u2019 access to the subway means expanding
\ntheir access to everything from job opportunities and health care to education
\nand entertainment,\u201d said Council Member Francisco Moya, Chair of the
\nSubcommittee on Zoning and Franchises.<\/strong> \u201cA disability shouldn’t cut you off
\nfrom this city but that\u2019s exactly what happens for people living near any of
\nthe hundreds of non-ADA-accessible subway stations. We can and must use zoning
\ntools to fix that problem and connect people to their city. I thank Speaker
\nJohnson and Council Members Salamanca and Chin for their advocacy on this issue
\nand I look forward to continuing our work with the MTA and DCP to democratize
\naccess to transportation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo achieve a truly accessible public transportation system
\nwe will need to use every tool available,\u201d said Council Member Margaret S.
\nChin, Chair of the Committee on Aging.<\/strong> \u201cThrough zoning tools, the Council
\ncan create a system of incentives and rules to ensure private developments near
\nsubway stations expand accessibility at those stations. I am proud to work with
\nthe Speaker and Council Members Salamanca and Moya to move New York towards a
\ntruly equitable public transportation system.\u201d<\/p>\n

MTA New York City Transit President Andy Byford
\nsaid:  <\/strong>\u201cI very much welcome the Speaker\u2019s initiative as this will be
\nanother step toward realizing the fully accessible subway system that all New
\nYorkers need and deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cImproving accessibility for all
\nNew Yorkers to our subway system is among the most important challenges we
\nface. The Department of City Planning looks forward to working with the
\nCity Council, MTA, accessibility advocates and subway riders as we continue to
\nadvance new, practical zoning tools that enhance subway access for all users,\u201d said<\/strong>
\nDepartment of City Planning (DCP) Director Marisa Lago<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver three-quarters of the city\u2019s Subway stations are not
\naccessible, and far too many will remain inaccessible even with the MTA\u2019s
\ncommitments. We must do better. All New Yorkers should be able to access our
\nmass transit system. AARP New York applauds Speaker Corey Johnson\u2019s plan to use
\ntools such as zoning to accomplish this goal, and we stand ready to continue
\nworking with the Speaker on this plan,\u201d said Chris Widelo, Associate State
\nDirector, AARP NY.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Susan Dooha, Executive Director of the Center for
\nIndependence of the Disabled, NY (CIDNY) said<\/strong>: \u201cThe overwhelming
\ninaccessibility of the subway system interferes with the ability of people with
\ndisabilities to work, go to school, and engage in the civic process. We are
\nexcited to see the New York City Council Speaker Johnson and Council Members
\nSalamanca, Moya and Chin advance the use of zoning tools to reduce the costs
\nand ease the process of making more of New York City\u2019s subway system
\naccessible. Next, we’ll look forward to a binding agreement that will make the
\nentire system accessible in keeping with major cities in the United States and across
\nthe globe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLiveOn NY applauds Speaker Johnson and City Council’s
\ninnovative efforts to tackle the complex transit and accessibility
\nissues facing New York’s older adult and disability communities,\u201d stated<\/strong>
\nAllison Nickerson, Executive Director of LiveOn NY<\/strong>. \u201cThrough Zoning
\nfor Transit Accessibility,
\nwe look forward to working with our partners, including the Department of City
\nPlanning and the MTA, to expand the toolset that can be used to make New York a
\nbetter, more accessible place to age.\u201d   <\/p>\n

\u201cThe lack of accessibility of the vast majority of
\nsubway stations deprives more than 2 million New Yorkers of their full right to
\nmobility, and is an injustice that must be urgently redressed. Speaker Johnson
\nand the City Council have identified an important opportunity to convert the
\nenormous value that public transit creates for surrounding landholders into
\nmeeting an unmet public need. The City Council\u2019s exploration into the ways that
\nmore of that value can be recovered corrects an imbalance, and is redistributive
\nand innovative. We look forward to working with them and local communities to
\ncraft proposals that advance this concept,\u201d said Elena Conte, Deputy
\nDirector, Pratt Center for Community Development.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cA subway system that is less than 25% accessible unfairly
\nexcludes people with disabilities, children and their caretakers, tourists,
\ndelivery workers, and anyone else who can’t use stairs during their daily
\ntravel. We understand that significant investment will be necessary to correct
\ndecades of underinvestment in elevators and their maintenance. We welcome
\nzoning changes and development incentives that will help our city reach a goal
\nof 100% subway accessibility while improving maintenance practices for
\nprivately owned elevators,\u201d said Jessica Murray, Rise and Resist Elevator
\nAction Group. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Daniel Coates, Director of Campaigns and Organizing,
\nRiders Alliance, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAccessible public transit is critical for ensuring all New
\nYorkers can move freely around our city. The City should use all the tools it
\npossesses to make our system more accessible, especially during zoning
\nconversations. The Speaker’s proposal is a good one, and we’re happy more
\nemphasis will be placed on improving transit accessibility as part of
\ndevelopments in the future. Thanks to Speaker Johnson and Councilmember Chin,
\nSalamanca, and Moya for their leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUsing zoning for improving
\ntransit accessibility makes a lot sense. This effort will provide the necessary
\nresources for bringing ADA accessibility to more stations while encouraging a
\nstronger nexus between our transit system and future development,\u201d said Tom
\nWright President & CEO Regional Plan Association.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Colin Wright, Senior Associate at TransitCenter said: <\/strong>\u201cNew
\nYork must use every tool available to provide equal access to our subway.
\nSpeaker Johnson\u2019s proposal smartly expands access to proven zoning tools, and
\nasks developers to help improve the station capacity in their neighborhoods.
\nGiven that 25 privately-owned elevators and escalators performed below New York
\nCity Transit’s standard in the first quarter of this year, the agency must be
\nvigilant in requiring ongoing maintenance of the new lifts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNYC must be accessible and livable for everyone, and in no
\nother area is this more important than our transportation network, which should
\nbreak down, not create, mobility barriers. A fully accessible and ADA-compliant
\nsubway system cannot come fast enough. We commend Council Speaker Johnson and
\nthe City Council for advancing these innovative zoning changes,\u201d said Marco
\nConner, Deputy Director, Transportation Alternatives.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cZoning for Transit Accessibility
\nwould be a great step forward in making the New York City transit system
\naccessible. It benefits the City by boosting consumer activity in densely
\npopulated areas, by making the subway system near local businesses accessible.
\nThis revenue allows the MTA to allocate more funding for accessibility in less
\npopulated areas, making the city as a whole more inclusive\u2014and a lot more
\naccessible. We would like to thank City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and the
\nNew York City Council Land-Use Division for putting together this proposal,\u201d said
\nJose Hernandez, President, NYC Chapter, United Spinal Association.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Announce Joint Effort with the MTA and Department of City Planning to Advance Proposals in the Coming Year<\/em><\/p>\n

New York, NY<\/strong> \u2013 Building on a proposal in the \u201cLet\u2019s
\nGo\u201d report from his State of the City address this year, New York City Council
\nSpeaker Corey Johnson joined Land Use Chair Rafael Salamanca, Zoning
\nSubcommittee Chair Francisco Moya, and Committee on Aging Chair Margaret Chin
\nto call for the expansion of zoning tools to better coordinate private
\ndevelopment with expanding transit accessibility for the disabled community and
\nall New Yorkers.<\/p>\n

…<\/p>\n

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