Survey Finds Numerous Problems At NYC Subway Stations

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Transit advocates and elected leaders are urging Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo to increase funding for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority after a survey finds multiple issues in the subway system.

State Sen. Daniel Squadron had his staff and interns busy this summer, studying 53 stations in his district of Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.

"We found the good, the bad and the downright ugly," Squadron said.

Surveyors found trash accumulating at 70 percent of the stations and standing water at 68 percent of the stations. Sixty percent of elevators or escalators that were out of service lacked appropriate signage, Squadron said.

"It's bad that there's a high incidence of problems that can be easily fixed," Squadron said.

According to the survey, the Canal Street station on the No. 1 train is the worst, followed by the Brooklyn Borough Hall station on the No. 2 and 3 lines, and the R line's Rector Street station.

Squadron released the report as the mayor and governor squabble over funding the MTA's capital plan.

Squadron and others are calling on the two to set aside their differences for the sake of the subway system's daily six million riders.

"Our buses and subways can not fall victim to a political fight," Squadron said. "The idea that we have a delayed and under-funded capital plan directly relates to the riders' experience."

The worst-ranked stations are due for improvements under the MTA's capital plan.