NYC subway station replaces benches with goofy leaning bars — and commuters are confused
These new lean bars don’t stand up to scrutiny.
The MTA replaced benches with new leaning bars at a bustling lower Manhattan subway station that were widely panned by straphangers as “uncomfortable” and “kind of awkward.”
The new metal slates were recently unveiled on a platform of the West 4th Street subway station that serves the A, C, and E lines near Washington Square Park.
The MTA reportedly said the change at the station, which is not the first transit hub to ever receive lean-in equipment, is part of a pilot program that could discourage the homeless from setting up camp.
But while there is nowhere for the homeless to sleep, there’s also nowhere for riders to sit if a train is backed up.
“I hate it,” Colby B., 47, told The Post Tuesday afternoon, also calling it “stupid.”
“I’m handicapped,” she fumed.
“If I’m out running around, having a place to sit for a second makes a big difference.”
Varda Steinhardt, 64, said her 22-year-old son needs a place to sit because he suffers from seizures. She said it’s dangerous for him to stand for an upcoming train with his disorder.
“Sometimes you come here and it’s a 15-minute wait for the A-train,” she explained. “My son has trouble standing for that long. So that’s not OK.”
Marcia Simmons, who was leaning on one of the bars with a cane because of a recent injury, was shocked to see the wooden benches wiped from the platform.
“It’s a little annoying because I have to lean up against it and I’m really tired because I’ve been walking for the past 10 minutes,” Simmons said.
“So when you want to sit down but instead you got to lean up against something, it’s kind of awkward.”
The dissatisfaction appeared to span across generations with Madison Hoflur, who was on her way home from school, adding, “I feel like it’s very uncomfortable for people who are walking or running a lot.”
The new leaning bars were situated at the uptown line for the A, C, and E trains while benches and bars were both on the downtown lines. The B, D, F, M lines were untouched.
The MTA said in a statement to PIX 11 this is the first time the leaning bars have been implemented on an island platform in a busy station and is part of a pilot program to assess how they work.
The cost is also drastically less for the cash-strapped agency; the bars cost about $450 while the wooden benches cost $4,000.
When PIX 11 asked NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow Tuesday morning about criticism aimed at the bars, including how some believe they make stations less accessible, he replied, “Well, I can understand everyone has a viewpoint, but I think our viewpoint is we try to appeal to the masses.”
MTA spokesperson Tim Minton told local Upper West Side outlet The Spirit surveys indicate riders want less homeless and mentally ill people congregating in the subway.
“The station is for people who are traveling,” he reportedly said.
“This is one small step that allows someone to rest and discourages people who are not going into a station to travel.”
He also noted this is not the first station to replace the typical benches with something else.
The agency didn’t immediately respond to an inquiry from The Post.
Other straphangers had a softer tone toward the new setup Tuesday while acknowledging the homeless problem underground.
“It’s good, actually it is,” Johnny Regan, 69, said as he leaned on one while adding, “The homeless need a place to stay, too.”
“It’s comfortable,” Felicia Dijohn said as she rushed to catch a train. “The homeless used to sleep on the benches.”
