It should be noted, however, that the point of that article (at least the way I read it) was to bring to light that it is an expensive project but it shouldn’t be this expensive. This is going to cost at least double what it costs in other cities and a big reason for that is MTA is apparently such a nightmare to work with that there aren’t many bids on the job. The ones that are bidding are pricing in having to work with MTA.
There aren’t a whole lot of details, but what I’m getting is that if MTA could remove some of the red tape, they’d get more bids.
And, while I don’t know that there’s a whole lot that can be done about it, it also seems like the construction union there is very powerful, which likely also drives up prices.
The whole point of the article is literally that the project should not cost that much and that something is wrong with how it’s being handled. It doesn’t have a lot to do with this thread.
It’s one thing if you determine that you are paying too much for the accommodations that you are providing to people in need. Those resources should be spent wisely and if there was a more cost-effective alternative that provided the same benefits, or a vendor that had a lower cost, that is worth trying to fix.
If the accommodations you’re providing don’t and wouldn’t benefit anyone, and are just a waste of money, then I could also see that you’d want to eliminate or replace them. Say a ramp is too steep to use safely, or you have filters for visual products that should aid the color blind but they don’t actually work. Some supposed aids are scams sold by incompetent and/or unscrupulous people.
But to gripe because the accommodations you provide don’t benefit enough people is horrid. You’re basically resenting people for being minorities. We have a moral and legal duty to provide reasonable accommodations for everyone. A person who has ambulatory difficulties, or sensory problems, or any other number of disabilities is not an “elite” person being put on a pedestal and being unnecessarily catered to. They live with those challenges every second of every day of their lives, and resenting them as if they are being granted a privilege you are being denied is childish, selfish, and idiotic.
A mail-in ballot is not the equivalent of going into the polling station unless you can mail in until the minute the polls close.
You should, if you want, be able to use all information available up to closing time to make your decision.
Once when I was a poll worker in a different precinct from my own, I voted early, and before the day of the election, a state rep candidate I voted for dropped out “for health reasons.” In this case, it didn’t make much difference, as there was only one other candidate, and no write-ins, and it wasn’t a presidential year at any rate. But a lot can happen in a presidential year, and many people really want to go to the polls, and not vote early.
I’m not defending the cost of the project, but elevators aren’t just for disabled people. I can’t even count how many times I’ve seen people with groceries or strollers struggling with the steps in some NYC subway stations.
One of the subway stations which has worse accesibility in Barcelona is Barcelona Sants, whose main opening is to the main train station. It is accesible but you pretty much need to know the path and the single lift opens outside in the square, rather than into the station.
I have a strong suspicion that most of the people who would benefit from either more lifts or better signage are not disabled, just toting large suitcases.
You ever tote a large suitcase, Cheesesteak? Ever use a pram?