By Carol Tannenhauser
The bus-lane brouhaha on West 96th Street started me thinking about whether bus lanes slow or speed the flow of traffic, but also about how much many of us dislike change, especially when it involves things that are important to us, like our homes and neighborhoods.
A lot of it may be anticipatory anxiety, or “pre-worrying,” as a friend calls it: worrying about the effects before the changes occur. I fell prey to pre-worrying late last spring when I heard the MTA was putting an elevator in the subway station directly across the street from my building.
I worried, first and foremost, about the noise. I envisioned giant jackhammers boring into Manhattan’s bedrock at all hours of the day and night. And I worried about living across the street from a construction site in general: the dust, the commotion, the congestion, which were expected to last for two years.
Construction started on July 22, and I have been amazed; so far it is orderly and quiet. Okay, it blocks a once-beautiful view, and they moved a bus stop to accommodate it, but that’s nothing compared to the fact that they’re finally making the subway stop that millions of people use each year to reach the American Museum of Natural History accessible. I only came to truly appreciate the enormity of this after interviewing Sasha Blair-Goldensohn, a 48-year-old Upper West Sider who landed in a wheelchair 15 years ago after a terrible accident in Central Park.
Meeting Sasha, whom I profiled here, was the silver lining. We talked for hours about his experience of being paralyzed from the waist down; the difficulties of getting around the Upper West Side and New York City in a wheelchair; the physical and psychological challenges he has faced; what he has lost, but, also, what he has gained — most notably, a remarkably positive attitude and a spirit of activism that spurred him to co-lead a court battle against the city, resulting in a decision requiring that 95% of subway stations have elevators by 2055.
That’s real change. But so are the smaller circumstances that confront us, like a construction site across the street from your apartment — or a bus lane painted down the middle of your block. I am happy to report that the tumult I anticipated has not come to pass. My pre-worrying was for naught. (Kudos to the MTA and their subcontractors for their efficiency and skills!) My doorman told me that they use a new construction technique now that doesn’t require jackhammers — and doormen know. From my window I can see the project progressing. Rectangles lined with 2x4s have been cut into the sidewalk. I wonder which one will become the elevator.
It is all so contained and controlled that the 81st Street station remains open, with people going up and down the stairs right beside the construction. The station will eventually close temporarily, the Rag has been told, but for now, from my window, I’m enjoying the view.
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Thank you for the positive column. It is so much easier to complain but it is so much nicer to read a column that looks on the bright side.
Agree with Judy’s comment – and it is wonderful to see someone wistfully acknowledge a loss while acknowledging that change is right in view of someone else’s need. Thank you.
I am so pleasantly surprised the entrance is still open and you can still use the entire intersection as a pedestrian. Great planning and crew! This does not always happen around the city!
drives me crazy how people push and push and push back against major projects like this, with no foresight whatsoever. in 5 years, let alone 50, this will have a massive impact on visitors to the AMNH.
yet we could have had a new tunnel through the hudson, and probably even a second avenue subway, for years now, had there not been opposition as myopic as “but the noise, for 7 months!!”.
appreciate the changing take and the relayed experience.
Such a wonderful story, while also being informative of the goings-on on that particular corner. Thanks, Carol!
I think most people don’t appreciate the need for accessible access until they need it themselves. I broke an ankle not long ago and even once I was permitted to walk (with a boot and cane), it’s been quite difficult. So I’ve come to appreciate elevators and escalators in the subway, where they exist.
Having said that, I think the quality of the elevators that the MTA installs are awful and they’re getting completely ripped off. They recently REPLACED eight elevators in four stations (so just a new cab and perhaps motors) at a cost of almost $56 million. It would have been a ripoff at $2 million.
I can’t even imagine what they’re spending to install a totally new elevator. Whole buildings get built for what they spend on a single elevator. No wonder they’re broke.
The elevators operate slowly and poorly, slowing down before the stop and then very slowly inching their way to the stop instead of smoothly and quickly stopping, and they’re also aesthetically ugly, looking like they were built in someone’s garage.
Plus, they’re used as bathrooms and the MTA doesn’t clean them often enough. They really need to be cleaned multiple times per day.