MTA Disabling Alarms at Station Exits

The MTA says it has disabled alarms at station emergency exits because they do little to discourage fare evasion.

The alarms blared when straphangers opened emergency exit doors instead of filing through turnstiles. The New York Times reported Wednesday that after a nearly a decade, the sirens were shut off.

The authority says it's still technically illegal to use the emergency exits except in emergencies. But the doors are used most often when stations are too crowded, or when people with boxes or strollers need a larger space to exit. And since more than 5 million people ride the subways during the weekdays, overcrowding is more common.

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