Three new elevators have finally opened at the 7th Avenue F/G station.
Photo courtesy of Marc A. Hermann/MTA
Three new elevators opened at the 7th Avenue subway station in Park Slope on Tuesday, in a hard-won victory for the community.
One of the elevators will take riders from the street to the station’s mezzanine, according to the MTA, and another will bring them down to the platform. The busy station, which serves the F and G lines, was previously inaccessible to commuters who use wheelchairs or other mobility aids.
“This was a long time coming. Over the years the Park Slope community has pushed hard to make this station accessible, and we have delivered with three brand new elevators,” said MTA chair and CEO Janno Lieber, in a statement. “The MTA is moving 100 miles an hour, knocking out ADA accessibility projects in all five boroughs faster, better, and cheaper than ever before – five times faster than ever before.”
The station was also outfitted with new boarding areas compliant with the federal Americans With Disabilities Act and tactile strips along the edges of both platforms, and the floor of the mezzanine level hallway was regraded to meet ADA standards — while the walls of the hall were decorated with a colorful new mosaic.
Park Slopers have for years campaigned for the station to be made accessible as the MTA worked to upgrade hundreds of stations across the city. Neighbors and then-council member Brad Lander argued that the station — located within walking distance of Brooklyn Methodist Hospital and the Park Slope Center for Successful aging — was a perfect candidate to receive elevators.
At the time, locals said they were forced to rely on Access-A-Ride to travel to stations equipped with elevators in order to ride the train — something that was inconvenient at best and impossible at worst, as rides must be scheduled 24 hours in advance.
After plenty of rallies, petitions, and MTA board meetings,…
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