Res 1010-2016

By Council Member Eugene Whereas, The subway system is the backbone of New York City's transit network, serving as an essential mode of transportation that millions of New Yorkers rely on every day; and Whereas, The subway system is experiencing record high ridership levels, with annual subway ridership higher in 2014 than it had been in more than 65 years; and Whereas, Metropolitan Transportation Authority ("MTA") officials have repeatedly cited the high ridership levels, and the resulting crowding in trains and stations, as a major cause of delays throughout the system; and Whereas, In recent months the MTA has implemented a series of measures aimed at reducing delays in the subway system, including increasing the use of platform control personnel tasked with getting passengers off and on trains more efficiently and quickly at some of the busiest stations; and Whereas, At very busy stations during peak times exiting passengers are often forced to wait to exit as crowds enter using all available turnstiles, or vice versa; and Whereas, Setting aside certain turnstiles for the exclusive use of exiting passengers and others for entering passengers could help to move passengers into and out of crowded stations at busy times more quickly and efficiently; and Whereas, The MTA currently implements such practices in a limited number of instances, such as at Grand Central-42nd Street; and Whereas, The MTA should study the effectiveness of these practices where they are currently in use and expand them to more stations and times of day where and when it determines that such measures might be effective at improving passenger flow; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to study and expand the designation of entry-only and exit-only turnstiles at busy subway stations during peak times. LS# 7368 3/14/2016 JM