Provides that in formulating its capital program plans, the metropolitan transportation authority shall develop criteria to determine how to best prioritize subway stations for accessibility improvements.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A8127
SPONSOR: Dinowitz
 
TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the public authorities law, in
relation to capital program plans of the metropolitan transportation
authority
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To require the MTA to develop and make public criteria on how to best
prioritize subway stations for accessibility.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one adds a new subdivision ten to section 1269-b of the public
authorities law to require the MTA to develop a criteria for determining
how to best prioritize subway stations for accessibility improvements.
Section two of this bill provides the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Accessibility remains a pressing issue for New York City transit subway
stations. Roughly a quarter of the city's 472 stations have elevators,
which represents one of the lowest percentages of any major metropolitan
system. Many New Yorkers with disabilities live too far from the closest
accessible station to utilize the system.
This bill would require the MTA, in the formulating of its capital
plans, to develop criteria to determine how to best prioritize subway
stations for accessibility improvements. To ensure such prioritization
is equitable, the criteria shall include various factors, such as census
tract data on senior and disabled populations. Additionally, such crite-
ria shall be made publically available to increase transparency.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New Bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None to the state.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8127
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
June 3, 2019
___________
Introduced by M. of A. DINOWITZ -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to capital
program plans of the metropolitan transportation authority
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 1269-b of the public authorities law is amended by
2 adding a new subdivision 10 to read as follows:
3 10. In formulating its capital program plans, the authority shall
4 develop criteria to determine how to best prioritize subway stations for
5 accessibility improvements. Such criteria shall include, but not be
6 limited to: citywide geographic coverage; transit transfer options;
7 annual ridership volume; census tract data for senior and disabled popu-
8 lations and percentage of those populations in poverty; residential
9 density of surrounding neighborhoods; and proximity to medical centers,
10 schools, parks, business districts, cultural hubs and senior centers.
11 Such criteria shall be made publicly available as well as the methodol-
12 ogy used to establish the criteria.
13 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13122-01-9