The Marty Makeover at Bay Ridge Avenue: What You Will and Won’t Get

This Saturday, the Bay Ridge Avenue subway station will close for six months for a complete makeover. As a key member of the MTA Capital Review Board, Senator Marty Golden would have helped move Bay Ridge to the front of the line. Here’s a summary of what to expect when it’s done, according to Golden’s announcement—along with what you actually wanted instead.

Getting:

  • New canopies and totems (huh?) at station entrances
  • New furniture (a seat for every morning straphanger, I’m sure)
  • Technology integration, like WiFi and USB charging ports
  • Improved finishes (Huh?)
  • Improved wayfinding (because who hasn’t gotten lost there)
  • New lighting (c’mon, LEDs are no way to bring back coal)
  • Decluttering
  • Positive street presence (the street gets a participation trophy)
  • Consolidated information zone (because why not put information in one place in a 600-foot long station)
  • Clear sight lines

Not getting:

  • A working R-train that could be considered “rapid transit”
  • Fixes to any of the other trains that cause delays on the R line
  • More trains / more capacity
  • Prompt alerts when delays are significant
  • Honest and forthcoming explanations about what’s causing delays in the first place
  • Elevator access

Next time you see Marty, remember to thank him for putting $24 million worth of lipstick on this chronically broken slab of pork.

2 comments on “The Marty Makeover at Bay Ridge Avenue: What You Will and Won’t Get

  1. funny how you bash Marty due to his politics but give “touchy-feely” Vincent Gentile pass on his ignoring of the ramp at the 97th Street park. Oh yeah, and that little place called the Prince hotel.

  2. Is it legal to renovate a subway station and not include elevator access? What about the ADA?

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