MTA Chief Joe Lhota has been very busy of late, and there will be no rest for the weary.
Straphangers just released their “State of the Station Platforms” report, which surveys the appearance and maintenance of 120 MTA subway stations, and the advocacy organization has found room for improvement.
Lhota’s pet peeve, peeling paint, marred 79% of the surveyed stations, and 50% of them had broken lighting fixtures. 53% had water damage.
There was some good news, though: trash cans were present at all but one stop, and none of them were overflowing. Garbage bags sat on the platform only 6% of the time.
The MTA has removed trash cans from some stations as part of a pilot program that aims to reduce the subways’ rat population, but the problem remains—rats were seen at 11% of stations.
Some other findings from the study:
- 15% of staircases/handrails were in disrepair
- 15% of stations had substantial areas of missing tile
- 20% of stations had substantial graffiti
- 28% of stations had exposed wiring
- 33% of stations had substantial floor cracks
Graffiti? Good heavens!