It’s good news for this “Bad” subway station!
State transit bigwigs recently opened a new elevator-equipped entrance to Downtown’s Hoyt-Schermerhorn station, where the late Michael Jackson famously filmed the music video for his hit “Bad” in 1987, improving the commutes of wheelchair-bound and stroller-pushing locals looking to catch a ride, a straphanger outside the hub told this newspaper.
“It’s helpful for strollers,” said Yetta F., who lives in East New York. “It would be better if every station had an elevator, especially for handicapped people with wheelchairs.”
Builder Rose Associates, which constructed a new luxury tower next door to the A, C, and G station, picked up the tab for its recent upgrades as part of the firm’s deal to erect the residential development at 45 Hoyt St., according to a Metropolitan Transit Authority spokesman, who said the state-run agency didn’t have to withdraw a dime from its dwindling coffers for the project. “Partnerships like this are a win for everyone involved,” said Shams Tarek. “Most importantly, transit riders get enhancements to their station that didn’t have to be paid for from transit funds.”
Officials closed the Schermerhorn Street entrance near Hoyt Street about three years ago to make way for its makeover and the adjacent high-rise’s construction, and reopened it on Sept. 27 with a fresh set of stairs and the elevator, which transports riders from the street to the hub’s mezzanine level, Tarek said.
The new entry is just a few-hundred feet from the station’s other Schermerhorn Street entrance, but many straphangers still applauded it for allowing them to shave as many seconds as possible from their commutes.
“It’s 30 seconds more convenient,” said Pete Cataldo, who lives nearby on Livingston Street. “Now there’s a stop right below me.”
Riders looking for a lift that takes them all the way down to Hoyt-Schermerhorn station’s platforms are out of luck, however, as those remain accessible by stairs only.
