MNRR ADA Compliance and Disabled/Handicapped Access

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/nyreg ... orswe.html

Fortunately, recent work at Dobbs Ferry and several other Metro-North Railroad stations included elevator installations, making life much easier for Mr. Barber, 34, a New Rochelle resident who works at the advocacy organization Westchester Disabled on the Move.

Just out of curiosity, being a former New Haven line commuter, but how do New Haven stations fare? The two I can think of that would be really rough would be Larchmont inbound and New Rochelle outbound (no platform side street access points).

ADMIN NOTE: with a recent topic on Port Jervis, I'm expanding this to include all MNRR.

Larchmont and New Rochelle are fully ADA compliant.

I know that Darien, Stamford, South Norwalk, New Caanan, New Haven are fully ADA assessable
Noroton Heights is parley assessable
Don't know about the others. It shows up on the time table though so I will give you more info when I have a time table in front of me.

Milford is ADA accessable on both platforms.

Patrick

Patrick A. wrote:Milford is ADA accessable on both platforms.

According to Metro-North, Milford is NOT accessible. To be ADA compliant, there needs to be handicapped access between all platforms. Metro-North indicates which stations are ADA compliant with a wheelchair icon next to the station name on their printed schedules, like this one for the New Haven Line. The MTA also has a list of accessible stations on their website at: http://mta.info/mta/ada/stations.htm

Jim has said this many times. Before posting information about Metro-North, you should point people to the official information, as it changes frequently. I would not want someone who has mobility problems, like myself, to read this forum and expect to find an accessible station where one was not available. The Metro-North station page had the following information for Milford as of 8/31/2008 (subject to change):

Accessibility*
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Ramps to platforms are available.
LIMITED ACCESS BETWEEN PLATFORMS: Route between platforms does not meet ADA requirements. Vehicular drop-off and/or pick-up is suggested.
NEAREST STATION WITH FULL ACCESS FOR PERSONS WITH MOBILITY, VISUAL AND HEARING IMPAIRMENTS: New Haven or Bridgeport

The availability of elevators and escalators also affects the ADA compliance of a station; elevators periodically may need to be taken out of service for repair thus affecting the compliance. Stations on the front of the timetables with a fully colored ADA symbol are fully ADA compliant, those which are only outlined have limited ADA access, those completely without the logo have no ADA access.

In the local paper, Port Chester/Rye Brook Westmore News, there was an article a while back about the town of Port Chester and the fight over wheelchair accessibility at the train station, and how the Tk. 4 platform has no wheelchair accessibility, and Tk. 3 platform does. I was reminded about this issue last night when traveling on the 1:10AM out of GCT, as we had to switch over to Tk. 3 to let off a drunk woman in a wheelchair. I am left wondering how something like this could have been .. erm ... overlooked, and left this way - the station design - for so long? Is it space? Is it politics, beaurocratic stuff? MTA stubbornness?

Port Chester is not the only station with this problem, there are quite a few. In most cases the general geography of the area is not conducive to wheelchair ramps and elevators. Some stations can only be reached by overpasses and there may be limited room to install elevators; since doing so would require access to city owned land.

Some stations off the top of my head that are not fully ADA accessible are Ludlow, Spuyten Duyvil, Williams Bridge, Woodlawn, Williamsbridge, Tremont, Melrose.

Some of the stations in the Bronx - along the shared Harlem & New Havel line trackage especially - I am really not surprised by given the geography.

I wonder, strictly talking about the land and setting aside anything about acquiring the land to use it if needed for now, but that hill between the two staircases, where the TVMs are, would that be suitable for ramps? Looks like if it could be done, you could make a fork to allow people to go to the lots on either side while keeping the grading reasonable.

Portchester is slated to have an elevator installed. But just when that will happen is anyone's guess.

Well, here's hoping that with the stink Port Chester is raising that plan is at least sped up a little bit.

From the Times Herald Record:

When your first response is “they’re kidding,” they’re usually not. In this case, “they” is Metro-North, and the bad joke is getting on the train in Port Jervis. If you’re in a wheelchair, the only way to get on is to call Metro-North a few days in advance for a bus to take you to Middletown. That’s what Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, the Cold Spring Democrat, said, and it’s what a group of people repeated when they showed up at the station last week.

http://www.recordonline.com/news/201712 ... ort-jervis" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

With the new yard going in just east of Middletown, I think MTA is going to focus their efforts from Middletown east. Nevertheless, I believe they are going to be realigning the yard tracks, so they might have to rebuild a new platform anyway.

https://goo.gl/maps/U6M5VPJaJM82" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

^Wow^...the curb even blocks the ramp onto the platform, and there isn't so much as another curb cut in sight from the parking lot. That is some weapons-grade stupid right there. I'm surprised no irate local pol hasn't gone to Home Depot to rent a jackhammer and spend $12 on a pail of patch cement and trowel. demolished and patched the curb obstruction themselves, then tweeted pics of it to the MTA under some sarcastic hashtag to shame them.

Keep in mind MTA does not claim this station is ADA compliant so any efforts are just that.