The MTA’s security cameras aren’t just broken: They’re also illegally installed.
Per requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, all security cameras in the system must be placed at least 80 inches off the ground. Except in Penn station, Metro found cameras, lights, exit and subway signs that are all in apparent violation of the law.
“I worked here on Sept. 11 and I know we all want to be protected,” said the 6-foot-10 Tom Fraehmke. He must duck and weave around the cameras daily to avoid being knocked out cold.
“But the cameras … should have been installed at a higher elevation. If I wasn’t paying attention, I would hit one of them and get a pretty good bump.”
Gated turnstiles are also dangerous to strapping straphangers. Alex Marshall, 51, was knocked unconscious after hitting his head going through a High Entrance/Exit Turnstile in Union Square.
“The top caught me right on the top of my forehead,” said Marshall, a senior fellow at Regional Plan Association who is 6 feet and 7 inches tall. “I fell backwards on the ground.”
Nat Brewster, 31, has twice drawn blood on HEETs the couple times he forgot to duck. “And I’m only six-four, not a super tall guy,” he said. “Life is really brutal for us.”
