MTA installs spikes at this New York subway station to stop fare evaders

The Metropolitan Transit Authority has launched its latest move to combat fare evasion – this time installing spikes at turnstiles.

The Post spotted workers on Wednesday installing the aggressive-looking contraption along the turnstile railings at the 59th Street/Lexington Avenue stop, which serves the N, R, W, 4, 5 and 6 lines.

The pointed panels would make it painful for people trying to bypass the toll booth by using the handrails to lift themselves over the turnstiles. But they don’t address a trick used on old gates that involves pulling on the turnstiles enough to slip through, or climbing over or under them.

Veronica Pisani, 40, a building manager who lives in the Fordham section of the Bronx, said she thought the newly installed metal equipment looked “silly and stupid.”

“I don’t think it will stop anyone from jumping the turnstiles,” said Pisani, who takes the subway almost every day.

“I see fare evasion all the time. People will find a way. I just don’t really believe this is an (effective) preventative measure,” she said.

“It’s definitely a waste of money.”

An MTA spokesperson did not respond to the Post’s inquiry about how much the metal spikes cost or whether the transit giant plans to install them at other subway stations.

Kristen, a 39-year-old designer and Manhattanite, thought the spikes looked uninviting.

“I think (the MTA) definitely could have used a peer review on the overall feel of (the spikes),” she told The Post. “If the whole point of the subway is for everyone to use it, then (the spikes) tell me it’s for everyone — except a select group of people.”

But maybe that’s the point.

Fare evasion costs the MTA around $500 million annually. The transit giant has been trying to make up for lost revenue for years.

In 2023, the MTA installed costly new gates to stop fare evaders, but it was shown on TikTok that the $700,000 electronic panel doors could be overcome with a simple hack.

Jose Hernandez, 37, a restaurant worker who lives in the Highbridge neighborhood of the Bronx, had higher hopes that the MTA’s latest attempt to stop fare gougers would be more successful.

“I think it’s good. I hope it helps,” Hernandez said. “It’s just crazy that it’s come to this.”