Cash-strapped MTA ‘signs’ off
Icons telling straphangers to keep their feet off the seats and their cellphone chats quiet may never see the light of day because of the MTA’s budget crunch, The Post has learned.
A planned overhaul of systemwide pictograms — from the familiar restroom signs to the lesser-known “No fishing off the bridges” symbol — has all but ground to a halt.
Instead, transit employees will refresh old icons — for example, by changing the background from black to blue on handicapped-accessible pictures — and install the new ones only during major rehabs.
One new pictogram would instruct riders to stand behind the yellow line on platforms, demonstrated by two feet behind a thick border. Another would warn against pulling the emergency brake, with a “Don’t” over a hand pulling the cord.
Spokesman Kevin Ortiz said the MTA, facing a $750 million budget shortfall, paid only “a few thousand dollars” for the icons’ design and printing.
