New York City Subway Stairs
There was something very unique about this subway station in Sunset Park, Brooklyn: one of the stairs was a fraction of an inch higher than all the others.
Dean Peterson, a filmmaker from the neighborhood, posted an 87-second video montage online showing travelers tripping on the stairs. By day’s end, it had reached an audience of more than 300,000, including at least a few officials at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Hours after the video was posted, in what maintenance workers classified as perhaps the fastest response to a customer complaint in agency history, a crew was dispatched to inspect the step.
“I think everybody is sort of shocked,” Mr. Peterson, 26, said. “I almost wish I made a video about something bigger.”
Victor J. Blue for The New York TimesA repair effort on Thursday to fix a notorious step at the 36th Street subway station in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. The step, which had been taller than the others, caused many subway riders to trip as they rose from the station.
But one day later, with the stairway blocked off, workers struggled to home in on the problem. Robert Miller, a system safety specialist for the agency, said the culprit appeared to be an excess of adhesive cement buildup beneath the panels that are placed atop the steps. "This caused the nosing to be pitched," he said.