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In a letter sent to President Howard Roberts, Jr. of the MTA, Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) expressed concern about a growing number of constituent complaints he received involving the 34th Street, Herald Square Station in Manhattan.

“In the last several months, I met with many commuters who had received summonses for alleged fare evasion at 34th Street. Most of them were traveling with baby strollers and required the emergency gate to gain entry into the station,” Hikind said. “Constituents kept telling me, ‘I swiped my MetroCard and the door opened,’ but then they would proceed through the gate and be issued a summons for fare evasion.”

An MTA investigation determined that constituents were inserting their regular-fare MetroCards into the reduced-fare only machine adjacent to the emergency gate. The inquiry also revealed that the emergency exit door was already in an unlocked state before commuters even swiped their MetroCards. “Commuters swiped their MetroCards and opened the door,” Hikind explained. “Because the gate was already unlocked, people assumed their fare had been deducted and that they had paid for access into the station.”

Hikind requested that signage detailing the proper protocol for service entry be posted to avoid further confusion. “What became clear in each case was that people simply did not know how to utilize the emergency service gate, and they were being unfairly penalized for it,” noted Hikind.

The signs are currently being posted throughout the New York City subway system. “I commend President Roberts for his quick response to this issue,” remarked Hikind. “For once, the MTA finally did something right.”