MTA: 181st Street / A Train Station Maintenance

Basic maintenance and upkeep was happening this morning at the south entrance of the 181st St stop today. A crew of about 8 appeared to consist of replacing fluorescent lighting in the main entrance and the stairway. Trash cans were also being wiped down. 

The general cleanliness of the station has deteriorated markedly after the closing (and recent removal) of the station agent & booth. 

While this doesn't address all concerns, it's nice to see a little improvement.

Road Work on 181st

Despite towing cars last night on 181 between Pinehurst & Cabrini, no paving was done on 181 west of Ft. Washington.

Discarded sign on the sidewalk.

New signs have been posted prohibiting overnight parking tonight. Let's hope they can finish the roadwork by tomorrow!

Equipment ready to go (hopefully!) on 181st.

Crime, Subway Entrances and Housing—Espaillat Meets With Hudson Heights

State Senator Adriano Espaillat ran an orderly “town hall” meeting on Tuesday night  at P.S. 187 with representatives of various city agencies, including the NYPD, FDNY, MTA, Department of Transportation, Department of Parks and Recreation and Department of Education.  The meeting focused on concerns in Hudson Heights, west of Broadway and north 179th Street.  About 100 persons were in attendance and the meeting began with the agency officials providing short updates on their work in northern Manhattan and concluded with an extended Q&A with residents. 

The biggest concern among residents is the continuing trickle of robberies taking place in late evening hours.  According to Captain Jose Navarro from the 34th Precinct, five persons (total) were mugged on Bennett Avenue, 181st Street and Fort Washington Avenue in the past month or so.  It is not clear whether this number captures all reported muggings, however, since one woman in the audience shouted that her friend was mugged at knifepoint at the 190th Street A train entrance on Fort Washington Avenue.   According to Captain Navarro, the muggings are particularly disturbing given that the criminals tend to be 18 and younger.  No clear message was given regarding any arrests, although the captain has directed officers to monitor the affected areas more frequently than usual.

The second biggest concern is the condition of the 181st Street entrance to the A train.  Residents expressed concern that the removal of the station agent about six months ago has led to a sharp decline in safety and appearance at the entrance.  According to the MTA representative, the agency is looking at re-staffing the booth or placing a police officer there—but all this appeared very preliminary.  (Please see the Gazette’s prior blog entry about how to make your voice heard on the removal of the station agent at 181st Street.)

The third biggest concern was directed at Senator Espaillat—preserving rent stabilization laws in Albany.  The senator expressed his strong support of the laws, which the state legislature must renew again this year. 

The good news is that Senator Espaillat appeared knowledgeable and engaged on the neighborhood’s core issues.  And Captain Navarro reported that of the 60 temporary “impact” officers sent to the precinct in 2010, 14 will remain.

MTA Response to Complaints about 181st Street Station

About a month ago, I called Carmen Bianco, Senior Vice President for Subways of the MTA, to express my concern about the removal of the station agent from the 181st Street Station of the A Train as well as the overall condition of the station, its escalators and its elevators.  To his credit, he was gracious and promised to read my forthcoming letter with interest.  

This week, I received a copy of his response letter.  It is equally gracious, although I don't think we can expect the return of the station agent anytime soon.  But I think we can expect increased attention by the police and MTA to this station, at least temporarily.

Please look at this Gazette's prior blogs to learn about how you can make your voice heard on our neighborhood's subway issues.  Mr. Bianco's letter to me is below.

Chris Rizzo

***

This is in response to your letter of November 1st, in which you requested that the closed kiosk booth at the 181st Street Station on the A line be re-opened.  You stated that since the removal of the agent at the 181st Street entrance, the incidence of graffiti and unsanitary conditions, as well as loitering of teenagers and homeless individuals, has increased, causing concern for customer safety.  Another issue is the seemingly antiquated and unreliable system of elevators at the station.

We inspected the station on November 16th and found it clean, with no litter on either the platform or mezzanine.  However, we did find graffiti on the kiosk booth window on the unstaffed mezzanine; this graffiti is acetone and cannot be removed.  We also discussed with Transit Bureau District 3 previous complaints received regarding loitering individuals, and requested increased patrolling of the area.  

The MTA sponsors a social service group, MTA/Connections Outreach, which works with homeless people in the subway to identify their specific problems and to direct them to services which provide food, shelter, and treatment.  Due to the increase in the number of complaints about the homeless at this station, we have requested that MTA/Connections Outreach and the Police Transit Bureau increase their outreach to the station and enforcement of subway rules and regulations.  We will continue to work with them to address these issue and ensure a safe and secure environment for our customers.  We will also ensure managers and supervisors at the station closely monitor conditions and take corrective action, as needed.  In addition, cleaners have been instructed to pay close attention to this unstaffed mezzanine and ensure that it is clean.

With regard to the elevator service, the 181st Street Station is served by three escalators at the 181st Street end, ES 117, ES 118 and ES 119; three elevators also serve the 184th Street end, EL 117, EL 118 and EL 119.  ES 117 was out of service from May 9th through October 17th due to work to replace the critical transmission step and step chain parts.  Although the longest outage for elevator EL 119 has been 9 days, the multiple shutdowns of elevators experienced by customers over the past year have been attributable to the age of the equipment, with wiring and control relay issues as the major causes.

As you are aware, the reduced station agent presence at the station was made necessary as a result of system-wide financial constraints.

We value your patronage, and are also sorry for any inconvenience that you might have experienced.  We look forward to serving you better.

Removal of the Station Agent at the 181st Street Station of the A Train

Here is some information on making your voice heard regarding the New York City Transit Administration's decision to remove the 24-hour station agent from the 181st Street station of the A Train (in order of importance).

Carmen Bianco

Senior Vice President (Subways), NYCTA

2 Broadway

New York, New York  10004

(646) 252-5860

Jay H. Walder
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, MTA

347 Madison Avenue

New York, New York 10017

(212) 878-7274

Hon. Robert Jackson (New York City Council)

Washington Heights
751 West 183rd Street
New York, NY 10033

212-928-1322

Hon. Adriano Espaillat (State-Senator Elect)

210 Sherman Avenue
Suite A
New York, NY 10034

212-544-2278

Hon. Herman D. Farrell, Jr. (State Assemblyman)

751 West 183rd Street
New York, NY 10033

212-568-2828