New York State Sen. Brooks: LIRR shows “lack of respect” to disabled commuters

Brooks displeased with recent Wantagh elevator issues, lack of accessibility at Mets-Willets Point

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State Sen. John Brooks demanded that railroad officials take action to meet customers’ needs — especially its disabled clientele — after the new elevator at the Wantagh LIRR station broke down twice in one week.

He called on the LIRR to contact the elevator’s manufacturer to ensure it is operating consistently, to be pro-active in installing elevators at the four LIRR stations along the Babylon line without them and to post a schedule at the Wantagh station, with bi-weekly updates on the renovation project there.

“It is unacceptable that Wantagh’s newly-installed elevator is malfunctioning and trapping LIRR passengers,” Brooks stated, standing in front of the station’s elevator on March 23.

Although LIRR officials said the elevator at the Wantagh station was recently repaired, Brooks wasn’t satisfied. He pointed out that the Amityville, Copiague, Lindenhurst and Massapequa Park stations are still without elevators and that shows “a real lack of respect for the needs of those with disabilities,” Brooks said.

The Wantagh LIRR station is at the second part of a two-stage renovation, slated for completion in the fall of 2018. According to the LIRR, all of its current projects include elevators in order to comply with the American Disabilities Act of 1990. The Act, however, does not require all stations to immediately meet the ADA’s requirements. Still, Brooks said he believes the LIRR should take the initiative to make sure all stations are compliant as soon as possible.

An LIRR official said the installer of the Wantagh station elevator, Kone, adjusted it on March 19, and said the elevator has not had problems since. Currently, Kone monitors the elevator every day to ensure that there are no further issues, officials said.

Wantagh’s LIRR station also has two ADA compliant ramps adjacent to the elevator and station building for disabled riders.

Brooks also mentioned the LIRR’s seasonal service to Citi Field, holding up a train schedule pamphlet that said that the Mets-Willets Point station is not wheelchair accessible.

“That’s unacceptable,” Brooks said. “The people in this community are fed up with the inaction on the part of the Long Island Railroad, and those people with disabilities have waited long enough to have a railroad that takes into consideration their needs and provides proper service to them.”

Gina Barbara, of Wantagh, a disabled LIRR customer, joined Brooks at his announcement. She said she had been excited to hear that a station three blocks from home added an elevator – she previously travelled to the Bellmore and Merrick stations before the renovation – but when she arrived at the station, she found that the brand new structure was out of service.

“This project was supposed to be done a while ago,” Barbara said, “and it’s still looking like we’re in phase one here where nothing is getting done and excuses are being brought to the forefront.”

When Brooks contacted the LIRR, officials there said they were looking into these issues for their 2020 budget.

“It is beyond words to me that when we spoke about this problem months ago,” Brooks said, “the response from the railroad was ‘We’ll look at it in 2020.’ It’s a problem that is here and now.”