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Turnstiles Changed at Clinton-Washington C Train Stop Due to Overcrowding

By Janet Upadhye | March 4, 2015 3:57pm
 The MTA replaced the high entrance/exit turnstiles at the station with waist-level ones to help traffic flow.
The MTA replaced the high entrance/exit turnstiles at the station with waist-level ones to help traffic flow.
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DNAinfo/Tom Liddy

CLINTON HILL — The MTA recently installed new, lower turnstiles at the Clinton-Washington C train stop to allow for better passenger flow, a spokeswoman for the agency said.

The station, located on Fulton Street in Clinton Hill, has become notorious for overcrowding during commuting hours, according to locals — and the problem is only getting worse.

In 2012 the MTA recorded 1,891,559 passengers at the station and one year later the ridership had increased by more than 11 percent — to 2,104,035.

"This stop gets worse every year — you can hardly move inside the station during commute hours," said Heather Young, 34, who works in the art industry and lives in the neighborhood.

That ridership increase is significant compared to nearby stations, like the Franklin Avenue and Lafayette Avenue C train stops, which both increased by less than 4 percent.

The Clinton-Washington station's previous turnstiles — high entrance/exit turnstiles (HEET) that span from the floor to the ceiling — were replaced by waist-level turnstiles after the MTA conducted a study of the station.

Using online surveys and meetings with community boards and city officials, they found the station to be overcrowded, an MTA spokeswoman said.

The change was welcomed by daily commuters who hope that the new turnstiles will lessen backups in the station.

"I sincerely hope this will help," Young said.