XPost: nyc.transit, alt.politics.democrats, alt.society.liberalism
XPost: sac.politics, talk.politics.guns

That didnÆt take long.

An outraged NYC stranger wasted no time outsmarting the MTA as he hopped
over a subway turnstile while showing little regard for the newly
installed spikes designed to deter fare evaders on Thursday night.

The unidentified subway rider easily vaulted over the metal gate less than
36 hours after they were placed at the 59th Street/Lexington Avenue
station, a Post photographer captured.

A metal sheet with sharp edges along the top and side was installed
between each gate entrance at the station.

The man was caught off guard by the Metropolitan Transit AuthorityÆs
latest crackdown attempt, but it didnÆt stop him from exploiting the flaws
in the transit authorityÆs design.

ôOh, so now I gotta jump over it? Okay, I donÆt give a fûk, IÆll jump over
it,ö a Post photographer overheard the man say.

The careless commuter ù wearing a sweatshirt highlighting the animated
show ôRick and Mortyö ù placed his left foot on the bottom ridge of the
gate and propelled himself up with his right hand.

Placing his left hand on the metal spikes, the man jumped over the pole of
the turnstile, clearing the gate and walking free to a train with no one stopping him.

The MTA ù which installed the new apparatuses at the station that borders
the Midtown and the Upper East Side Wednesday ù did not reveal the cost
for the spiky metal sheets.

It was unknown if other subway stops would be getting similar devices.

Several commuters who frequent the station ù which services the N, R, W,
4, 5 and 6 lines ù were not thrilled with the new gate feature.

ôI donÆt think itÆs going to prevent anyone from jumping the turnstiles,ö Veronica Pisani, 40, told The Post Wednesday.

Pisani, a building manager who lives in the Fordham area of the Bronx,
called the hardware ôsilly and foolishö and a waste of money.

ôI see fare evasion all the time. People will find a way. I just donÆt
really think this is [an effective] preventative measure,ö she said.

Fare evasion costs the MTA roughly $500 million annually. The transit
giant has been trying for years to recover the lost revenue.

It isnÆt the first time an anti-fare evasion strategy was beaten.

In 2023, the MTA installed pricey new gates designed to block fare
evaders, but the $700,000 electronic panel doors were shown on TikTok
being defeated with a simple hack.

Last December the MTA OKÆd a fare hike to $3 per swipe, 10 cents above the current $2.90 per swipe, as it spent nearly $1.3 billion on 435 new subway cars.

ôThis is a good deal,ö MTA chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said of the price hike, after approving a budget plan that anticipates the 4% hike in fares
from the current by the second half of 2025.

https://nypost.com/2025/01/17/us-news/nyc-subway-straphanger-jumps-over- mta-new-turnstile-spikes-at-manhattan-station/

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