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BOROUGH PRESIDENT HOSTSBOROUGH PRESIDENT DEMANDS BROOKLYN TOKEN BOOTHS REMAIN OPEN

Identifies additional closures that would create serious safety risks

Borough President Marty Markowitz again protested New York City Transit Authority’s decision to close 50 full-time and part-time token booths in Brooklyn at the Church Avenue subway station (Q line) at Caton Avenue today. He passed out fliers at the station urging Brooklynites to call Governor Pataki (212-681-4580) and MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow (212-876-7200) to let them know that they must keep the booths open. There are public hearings on booth closures and proposed fare increases on Wednesday, February 5th, 4pm at the Roosevelt Hotel, Madison Avenue at 45th Street in Manhattan and Thursday, February 6th, 4pm at the NYC College of Technology at 300 Jay Street in Brooklyn.

“We must speak out now or forever hold our peace because we would pay dearly for these closures come December,” Borough President Markowitz said. “Token booth clerks are the critical eyes and ears of our subway system. MetroCard vending machines, which often malfunction, can’t call the police or an ambulance or help you with directions. We all realize the severity of our fiscal problems, but we should never do anything that will sacrifice the safety of our subway riders.”

To save $25 million, the Transit Authority wants to close 200 token booths citywide by December. Earlier this month, Borough President Markowitz identified 13 station booths that NYC Transit should immediately eliminate from its closure list. Based on additional field inspection, he has now identified 11 more stations where booth closures would raise particularly serious security concerns. In some of these locations, closure would also cause considerable inconvenience for substantial numbers of customers who would have to walk additional blocks and/or cross busy thoroughfares to enter near a staffed booth.

In a letter written to MTA Chairman Kalikow, he outlined the 11 additional locations:

High Street (A). For both security and convenience reasons, the full-time booth located at High Street, which serves both Manhattan and Brooklyn-bound customers, is one of the most inappropriate candidates for closure on NYC Transit’s list. Since the entrances leading to this booth are located adjacent to parking lots, there is little foot traffic in the vicinity other than persons entering the station. Without a staffed booth, customers entering the station, walking through the long passageway between the entrance stairs and the booth, and riding on the long, narrow escalator that leads down to the platform, would be particularly vulnerable to crime. The nearest staffed booth where a crime or medical emergency could be reported is several distant blocks at Cranberry and Henry Streets, and this booth is located at the top of another long

escalator. The High Street booth is relied upon by many residents of the nearby Concord Village complex. Its closure would mean that they and other residents of this neighborhood who wish to enter near a staffed booth would have to hike past the Brooklyn Bridge approaches all the way to Cranberry and Henry Streets in Brooklyn Heights.

Church Avenue (Q). The booth proposed for closure is located on Caton Avenue, one very long block from the booth that would remain staffed. A clerk interviewed at the Caton Avenue booth said this entrance is well used. Staff saw a steady stream of customers there on a recent weekday afternoon. The booth, currently open from 7:05AM to 10:15 PM daily, serves customers traveling in both directions.

Lorimer Street (L). The booth proposed for closure, which serves both Brooklyn and Manhattan-bound customers, is a long distance from the booth that would remain open. The clerk in the booth planned for closure said in an interview that his entrance is busy most of the time and that on some weekday mornings he sells $3,500 in fares in just one hour. Two buses stop directly upstairs from this booth, which is one of the reasons this entrance is well used.

Halsey Street (L). The full-time booth on the Canarise-bound side that is proposed to be closed is on a desolate block. This booth serves L-line customers headed not only toward Canarsie, but those who transfer at Eastern Parkway for the A and C lines heading toward Lefferts Boulevard and Far Rockaway and for the J and Z lines heading toward Jamaica Center.

Rockaway Avenue (C). Two bus lines, the B60 and B25, stop directly upstairs from the booth that would be closed. This booth and the Brooklyn-bound platform are not visible from either the booth that would remain staffed or from the Manhattan-bound platform.

Clinton-Washington (C). A steady stream of customers was entering near the full-time booth on the Brooklyn-bound side proposed for closure when staff visited on a recent weekday afternoon. Customers on neither platform are able to see the secluded passageway between the entrance stairs and the turnstiles on the Brooklyn-bound side.

Kingston-Throop (C). NYC Transit proposes to close the full-time booth on the Brooklyn-bound side. Only a portion of the Brooklyn-bound platform – not including the areas around the HEETs (High Entry-Exit Turnstiles) – can be seen from the booth that would remain staffed.

Utica Avenue (C), Nostrand Avenue, (C), Utica Avenue (4). These are three of the four stations in Brooklyn that are located in crime hot spots being targeted by the NYPD's Operation Impact. The booths proposed for closure provide a crucial set of eyes and ears in these locations.

Marcy Avenue (J). It's a long climb up the stairs to the platforms at this elevated station. If the full-time booth on the Brooklyn-bound side closes, customers who enter through the adjacent HEETs would be far from assistance if the need arose.

The field survey noted that several of the booths slated for closure, including the booth at the High Street (A) station, are equipped with closed-circuit television monitors that clerks use to keep an eye on platform activity. Placement of monitors at these locations is a clear recognition by NYC Transit of the important security role booth clerks play. Obviously, the booths must continue to be staffed for CCTV monitors to be of any use.

It was also noted that many of the MetroCard Vending Machines located near the booths proposed for closure displayed messages saying that they could not accept bills. Locations visited last week where the vending machines were not accepting bills were: High Street (A), Kingston-Throop (C), and Halsey Street (L), each with one vending machine; Lorimer Street (L), where neither of the two machines accepted bills; and Church Avenue (Q), where none of the three machines accepted bills. Booth clerks interviewed at these and other stations said that vending machine breakdowns are a frequent occurrence and that the machines sometimes malfunction for weeks at a time. Customers who enter through a HEET-only entrance where the vending machines are not accepting bills would have to use coins or debit or credit cards or else walk to the staffed booth to buy a MetroCard. In other stations, vending machines sold only single rides and others that required exact change.

In a previously letter written to MTA Chairman Kalikow, he indentified the following booths that should also be removed from the closure list:

Bergen Street (2, 3). The booth on the Flatbush/New Lots Avenue-bound side, currently open weekdays from 6:00 AM to 9:15 PM, would be closed entirely. This booth is in a very isolated location at the bottom of a long flight of steps. Neither the HEET nor the platform is visible from the Manhattan-bound side. Passengers bound toward Flatbush and New Lots Avenues who do not want to enter through an unmonitored HEET will have to enter the station at the Manhattan-bound side, take a train to Atlantic Avenue, and transfer there for a train heading back into Brooklyn.

Union Street, Prospect Avenue, 25th Street (R). The clerks located at the full-time booths that would remain open, on the Manhattan-bound side, can't see passengers entering and standing on the platform on the opposite side where the full time booths would be closed. Closure of these booths would require southbound passengers who want to enter near a token booth to enter on the Manhattan-bound side and take a train to Pacific Street, where they could transfer to a train heading back into Brooklyn.

Brighton Beach (D, Q). The auxiliary booth that would be closed is several blocks from the main booth. It is especially used during beach season.

Carroll Street (F). The booth proposed for closure is at a heavily used entrance to the station and is several blocks from the main entrance.

Church Avenue (F). There are long passageways and blind corners near the booth proposed for closure. The clerk in this booth now has a good view of the area.

Fort Hamilton Parkway (N). The auxiliary booth is located on 11th Avenue, a vibrant commercial corridor. It is a long and circuitous walk from 11th Avenue to the main booth.

New Utrecht Avenue (N). The distance between the auxiliary booth slated for closure and the main booths is especially long. The auxiliary booth is in an isolated location.

Ocean Parkway (D). The auxiliary booth is in an isolated area. If the booth is closed, customers who now use it will have to cross busy Ocean Parkway to reach the main booth.

Sheepshead Bay Road (D, Q). The auxiliary booth vicinity is near a heavily developed area and handles a lot of passengers. The main booth on Sheepshead Bay road is a long walk from the auxiliary booth via a circuitous route.
95th Street (R). A hidden corridor connected to a long two-block mezzanine is located near the auxiliary booth which would be closed. If the booth closes, this corridor could easily be a hiding spot for muggers.

Myrtle-Willoughby (G). If the auxiliary booth, located on the northbound side, is closed, customers who wish to use the 24 hour-staffed entrance on the southbound side would have walk through an unmonitored underground passageway to reach trains going in the opposite direction.

For a complete list of proposed closures and hearing locations in other boroughs, log onto www.mta.info.