MISSION
ACCESS – Access Currently Closed Entrances to Subway Stations – is a mobility rights group focused on spatial justice and mobility equity in New York City. The New York City Subway system has more than 400 closed access points at over 100 stations resulting from austerity policies and unproven crime prevention measures that disproportionately impact under-resourced communities of color—especially in gentrifying areas of the city. Reopening these closures and reclaiming these public spaces would substantially improve mobility, economic opportunity, community development, public space, and public safety at minimal costs. We stand behind disability rights groups who call for an expansion of ADA accessibility throughout the system and aim to remove the fare-based barrier-to-entry and make transit free.
WHO WE ARE
ACCESS was initially founded in 2015 in response to the concentration of closed entrances within North Brooklyn. Our group has researched and documented history around station infrastructure, and we found that between the 1970s and the 1990s, subway entrances throughout the city were closed to reduce costs, address decreasing ridership, and alleviate fears of increasing crime. Even though ridership has rebounded and crime rates have plummeted since then, the MTA has never gone back to evaluate whether reopening the closed entrances would make sense.
WHAT WE DO
ACCESS aims to spur actions that can lead to the reopening of previously closed entrances, based on a variety of factors. These factors include (but are not limited to) changes in ridership patterns, current passenger flow conditions, and the availability of ADA accessibility. We reach out to news outlets, other advocacy groups, community-based organizations, and elected officials. We have general working meetings on a monthly basis. If you are interested in making a more accessible system for all New Yorkers, please reach out to us to get involved!