New M.T.A. Turnstiles

By Max Duffey and Jack Rosenblum

The MTA is rapidly changing their turnstiles. The normal three-turn-stile has been replaced with large, expensive, bulky plastic doors that close fast and are not wheel-chair accessible. It affects many students at M.S. 447 because Atlantic Avenue Barclay’s Center has one of the prototypes for these doors that have a short time limit and close fast. 

According to Ms Davis, who teaches 6th grade Social Studies, “The MTA’s new turnstiles suck!”

Students who are waiting in line to get Omni-cards after a loss are just waiting around for people that have Omni-cards to tap for them. The new turnstiles are meant to prevent fare evasion, but many students without Omnicards have found new tactics. Like squeezing under, and jumping over the gates. While these gates will do lots such as hopefully stopping people from hopping and will save the MTA millions of dollars, and the gates even have new flaws!

For instance, some people will grab onto a friend’s backpack and run through the doors. That is the easiest way to avoid fares, which is even more proof that these turnstiles are as pointless as the other ones.  The new gates cost $700,000 each. This means that the MTA would have to remove 80% of fare evasion just to make a profit on these gates! Another GIANT PROBLEM is that the MTA states that the gates will remove up to 60% of fare evasion at certain stations, but using this number the gate might lose the MTA tens of millions of dollars, yikes! 

Another problem with the gates is that their systems glitch incorrectly flagging people, and blaring a loud alarm even if you paid. Another giant problem is that the gates heavily rely on sensors, but people can use objects to block them, and not set off the alarm, and Charles in 705 pointed out that the gates can also close if they sense someone on the other side when you're coming in, and as time goes on, and new strategies to beat the system are found, the MTA’s number of 60% could plummet. 

Yet another problem is that especially people in wheelchairs, elderly people, and people with numerous injuries, is the fast closing time of the doors, but even students are getting trapped. Causing major inconveniences for all types of people. If you ask almost anyone they would say the gates are clunky, inconvenient, inaccessible, and flat out terrible. While these gates are still in the prototype phase a lot needs to be fixed for them to work out.