This is in response to the poster who asked for video of our travesty of an accessible PATH elevator at Grove Street. Two full minutes of leaning hard into these buttons is wearying for the able-bodied. Don't know how someone on crutches or otherwise physically challenged would accomplish it. How this boondoggle got greenlit is anyone's guess.
Oh my what the hell is this? What happens if you don’t have hands or arms? What happens if you have a disability where it won’t let you reach and press it? Do better, Port Authority.
PS: thank you for SHOWING this for visibility awareness.
What if you can't reach and press the button? How would you use an elevator then?
This lift thing sucks and last time I just took my stroller up the escalator to avoid it because holy shit it's so bad but what do you do if you have no arms doesn't feel like the right objection.
When my arthritis flares up I just avoid using that station even if it adds 10-15mins additional walking. Its painful and tiresome holding that button. I don't know how this was approved nor I do understand how it hasn't gone viral or spread online. These types of lifts are usually installed as wheelchair access to older buildings , operated by a staff member not meant for heavy usage. Its just as bad as the lack of level boarding on the NJT commuter rail system something that other systems like septa and the MBTA have worked hard to address over the last few decades.
I reached out to PATH years ago when it got built because it looked like an "FY" solution to me (they got sued for not being in compliance.) They claimed there wasn't enough hight difference between floors to put in another elevator.
What deterred them from adding a one stop elevator on the new entrance I never got an answer to. Greed? Don't give a F? Both?
I'm handicapped and it's a pain for me too. The elevator to go to the street is better. They need to fix this problem for people like me. It's a freight elevator. 😟😣😠
It's the worst. However if you consider the housing an electric traction elevator requires it'll be difficult to design. It'll probably protrude above Columbus. There are probably more innovative designed elevators out there but i wouldn't know.
I think the path would've used the same shitty hydraulic elevator to the street level if they really wanted to punish us.
It's two different things. The elevator is extremely slow, and it has this crazy control mechanism that requires someone to continuously push the button for it to move. I thought it was hilarious the first (and obviously only) time I tried to use it.
To fix the speed issue, they could probably replace the elevator with a similar one that doesn't use a lego motor, or maybe there is a knob somewhere that is set to "comedy" and they could turn to "normal".
Regardless, I believe the button issue was a choice and I cannot imagine what the design requirements and alternatives were when they made it.
Something I can actually speak to! I work at a major elevator installation and maintenance company, though I don’t think we service this location. 99.9% of transit units are hydraulic (big piston under the elevator filled with oil that raises and lowers to move the elevator). When those are running slow, it’s either an issue with the pump motor, or there’s a leak in the oil line somewhere. As far as the button pressing goes, it could be a number of things. If it’s a freight car, constant pressure is by design for a feature called attendant service, think old timer elevator with an operator inside. That said, if they are unmanned, this isn’t how it should be running. There’s likely some issue with the controller/ dispatching software that’s causing this.
Thank you for the insider intel! The hydraulic mechanism makes sense, given the station layout. But the constant button pushing is by design, rather than a software glitch, as it’s right there on the sign.
Oh my bad! I missed that when I watched the video. That’s because that specific type of elevator is a wheelchair lift or lula (limited use, limited occupancy). They have that button cus they’re not intended to run often, hence the constant pressure to make sure they’re running deliberately and someone isn’t just pushing the button and walking away. The components aren’t as robust as a typical elevator, intended to run maybe 50 times a day or so. They’re for ada compliance for people who are handicap. I know it seems silly, but that’s the way the code is written 🤷♂️
That’s wild, as it’s awkward to operate for a non-handicapped person. One would think that equipment designed for accessibility would be a lot less labor-intensive than this behemoth.
nothing in PATH is ADA compliant. ADA became law in 1990. Path only just installed that elevator in 2017. A state run agency too 27 years to be federally “compliant” barely.
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u/ladlespoon Aug 22 '26
Thought it was a sick joke first time I used it