The MTA is contemplating a redesign of the subway turnstile to deter what it calls rampant fare evasion costing the cash-strapped agency hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
In a Tuesday radio interview, Lieber said that the subway fare gate is “too porous” and makes it easy for anyone to board a train without paying.
“The turnstiles, frankly, it seems like we’re trying to cultivate a generation of world-class gymnasts,” Lieber told Brigitte Quinn of 1010 WINS. “Because you can just put your hands on the side and vault over them. We’ve gotta deal with that, whether it’s raising the height or changing the design so it’s not so easy for people to vault.”
Metro systems in other cities like San Francisco, Washington DC, and London have adopted automated fare gates that open from the center out, and only if a fare is paid. The gates are significantly harder to hop than the low, spinning turnstile used in New York.