MTA Dismisses Koo’s Proposal For Subway Station Safety Barriers

By Mylique Sutton

New York City Councilman Peter Koo is calling for safety barriers in New York City’s subway stations to protect commuters after another man was pushed to his death on Thursday.

The man, whose body was so mangled that police couldn’t identify it, was shoved onto the tracks by a “heavyset Hispanic woman” as the No. 7 train pulled into the station. In the wake of his death and with the Dec. 3 New York Post cover page showing Ki-Suk Han, 58, moments away from being struck by the Q train still etched into the minds of New Yorkers, Councilman Koo is urging the MTA to consider installing barriers that open only when a train has arrived in a station to prevent further tragedies.

Koo said in a press release that other cities overseas have cleaner, safer and more technologically advanced subway systems, and that the MTA should look to them for ideas on how to protect New Yorkers.

The proposal is “basically in the infant stages,” and came about after a discussion that was held after the news about the No. 7 tragedy came to light, said James McClelland, Koo’s chief of staff. McClelland also said that the councilman feels the MTA should seriously look into and a letter will probably be sent out this Wednesday.

The MTA dismissed the idea as too costly and technologically challenging.

“It would be cost-prohibitive and also extremely difficult because we have different car classes of subway cars, so the doors are not always in the same place,” MTA spokeswoman Deirdre Parker said. “So that is not something that would be feasible.”

While such a venture would cost the city a hefty sum of cash, McClelland said he feels that money shouldn’t stop this from project from pulling out of the station.

“We’re not sure of the cost, but if it saves one human life then it will be worth it,” he said.