More Than 1,000 MTA Bus Shelters Closed Across City For Safety Inspections
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – More than 1,000 MTA bus shelters across the city are closed to commuters Tuesday for safety inspections.
No, the yellow tape wrapped around the shelters isn't Halloween décor. Signs tell riders to stay out.
Of the 3,500 bus shelters across the five boroughs, 1,400 are closed. JCDecaux operates the shelters and said earlier this month corroded bolts on the roof of a Staten Island stop caused it to partially collapse.
Fortunately, no one was under the shelter at the time. But this prompted the company to inspect all stops that are at least six years old.
"That's scary. A lot of people sit under there," said Upper West Side resident Taline Sahakian.
"I'm glad they're doing it, but someone did something wrong somewhere," Upper West Side resident Don Farrow said.
Of the first 1,000 inspected, 30 of them had corrosion. So the company decided to shut down the remaining shelters until it can inspect them all and ensure they are safe. It's unknown how long the stops were in this condition.
"We want to make sure our bus stops are safe for our customers. If there was any question of a stop being unsafe, we wouldn't use it," Transit Authority CEO Andy Byford told CBS2 on Monday.
"It's good they are taking action. We pay enough for transit, and I think everything should be working properly," said Alexis Almodovar, of Throggs Neck.
Even though the shelters are shut down, service is not. You can still catch a bus and get where you need to go.
JCDecaux said most bus stops should be back open in a week. Any required repairs are expected to be complete by the end of the month.
The New York City Department of Transportation says it will hold the contractor accountable for making the fixes expeditiously.
