Governor Kathy Hochul’s decision to halt congestion pricing has one community of subway riders fighting for their rights. 

Accessibility advocates have been pushing for the MTA to add elevators in 23 subway stations, including some inside the busiest train stops in Midtown. But with an indefinite hold, there’s no funding for needed upgrades, dealing a blow to not only the disabled community but also to seniors, parents with strollers, and anyone with limited mobility who relies on the subway as their primary means of transportation.

Subway accessibility in New York City has long been an issue. According to a 2023 New York City Council report, only 29% of subway stations are fully accessible to people with disabilities, leaving over 70% of stations without elevators or ramps. For the city’s 3 million residents with disabilities, this lack of infrastructure severely limits mobility. Even stations with elevators are often plagued by maintenance issues, with frequent outages making them unreliable.

The report also showed that, on average, 34 elevators were out of service on any given day in January 2023. Equipment operated by third parties performed worse, with outages lasting an average of 4.4 days compared to 1.6 days for MTA-operated elevators.

Subway accessibility advocates, on Sept. 8, launched a multi-location protest of the governor’s decision. Organized by groups including the Democratic Socialists of America, and Rider’s Alliance, a membership organization of bus and subway commuters, the Citywide Subway Canvassing Day aimed to highlight how the funding pause disproportionately affects many New Yorkers.

Advocates spread out across 23 subway stations, talking to riders about the importance of accessible transit and the potential impact of the congestion pricing pause.

For April Coughlin, a “wheeler” since the age of 6 and a disability rights activist, the day’s event highlighted the struggles she faces regularly. After canvassing the 168th Street station for the protest, Coughlin — with her 5-year-old son in tow riding a scooter — needed to take a detour just to get home, because the 1 train platform at 168th lacks an elevator to the platform.

“It’s not just about me anymore. Trying to juggle accessibility issues with a little one makes everything ten times harder,” she said.

Nicole Murray, an organizer of DSA, explained the canvassing strategy. “Most people will agree that subway stations should be accessible. So, we start by asking, ‘Do you think this station could use an elevator?’ Most people say yes, and then we tell them it’s not going to happen because Governor Hochul canceled the funding.” And then she encouraged people to scan a QR code and fill out a form, which tells Governor Hochul not to defund the subway.

Joshua Goodman, a member of Rider’s Alliance, elaborated on the broader consequences of the funding delay. 

“Even when stations are partially accessible, they often fail to meet the needs of wheelchair users. At 42nd Street, for example, the ramp connecting the A-C-E to the 6th and 7th Avenue lines is too steep. So, if you’re in a wheelchair, it’s essentially inaccessible,” he said.

Murray explained the financial implications. “Canceling congestion pricing has ripple effects. The more delays there are, the more expensive these projects become. It’s a snowball effect— the longer this drags on, the more difficult it will be to get the funding we need to make these improvements.”

According to the report, delays in capital projects have already extended elevator outages in several stations, sometimes by months.

Goodman said the MTA has provided little in terms of a direct response. He mentioned that when attending MTA board meetings, “they just say this is the governor’s decision.” While some MTA staffers were reportedly devastated by the congestion pricing pause, Goodman expressed disappointment that there wasn’t more pushback.“There are people at the MTA who were extremely committed to congestion pricing and its implementation,” he said, “but the agency hasn’t come out strongly enough to fight the decision.”

He added that there has been no meaningful engagement from the governor’s office on how to move forward, leaving advocates in the dark about potential solutions. “There’s no public forum for us to have a real conversation about this,” Goodman said.

The governor’s office or the MTA did not respond to requests for comment.

Murray emphasized that it’s not just about accessibility for people with disabilities—it’s about the values of a progressive society. “We are locking out thousands of people from a crucial public service. It’s not just unfair—it’s morally wrong. This is not the kind of city we want to live in.”