Rally on Monday September 30, at 9:30 AM on the corner of 6th Avenue and W23rd Street, as we demand that the MTA prioritize the installation of elevators at the W23rd Street 6th Avenue (F/M) and 8th Avenue (C/E) stations.
As you are likely aware, across the network, only 29% of NYC subway stations are elevator accessible. Although the MTA has committed to making all stations accessible by 2055 (congestion pricing funding notwithstanding, of course), the W23rd street elevators — which are used by hundreds of thousands of riders each month — are not on the priority list.
Therefore, before the MTA releases its next 2025-2029 Capital Plan in October, we must show the MTA why accessibility in Chelsea is so important and should not be overlooked. Currently along 23rd Street from the Hudson River to East River there are 5 subways stations, but the only one with an elevator is all the way on Manhattan’s east side. The dearth of elevator accessibility on the west side neglects the thousands of senior, disabled (including visual, ambulatory, or otherwise), and medically vulnerable populations of Chelsea who rely on the MTA as a means to get to work, medical appointments, or social services. In particular:
- Selis Manor, at 23rd and 6th Avenue, is NYC’s only residence and facility for the Visually Impaired and Disabled, and has hundreds of residents and countless clients who must regularly travel to their location;
- Penn South, on 8th Avenue and 23rd Street, is a Naturally Occurring Retirement Community, with thousands of elderly residents;
- The Chelsea-Elliot NYCHA houses, extending between 16th street and 27th street between 9th and 10th Avenues, houses thousands of senior or medically vulnerable persons; and
- In the immediate vicinity of the W23rd street stations, there are the Hudson Guild Senior Centers, SAGE (a center supporting senior individuals in the LGBTQ community), Senior Planet (a technology and computer learning center for seniors), and several medical facilities.
The time is NOW to expand elevator accessibility on 23rd Street. So please join our rally on September 30, and share the attached poster!
Best,
Jesse Greenwald
Resident of Chelsea and Co-Chair of Manhattan Community Board 4 Transportation Committee
Miriam Fisher
Resident of Chelsea and Disability Advocate