The MTA is planning to reconfigure its subway turnstiles to prevent a phenomenon where they’re pulled back in the reverse direction, enabling a fare evader to slip through without paying.
The agency has already adjusted the mechanics of 26 turnstiles to prevent the maneuver, which has been dubbed “back-cocking,” and plans to upgrade another 240 this summer. The remaining 3,479 turnstiles throughout the system will receive the modification over the next two years, at a cost the MTA pegs at $2 million. However, the investment will prevent more than $45 million in estimated losses from fare evasion using the technique, according to New York City Transit’s subways chief Demetrius Crichlow.
