The renaming of the Broadway-Nassau Station on the A/C subway lines to Fulton Street without a transitional period or notifying the MTA Board Transit Committee has raised the ire of the NYCTRC. Council Chair and Board member, Andrew Albert, has questioned these actions, first in a letter to MTA Chairman Jay Walder:
“I am writing to bring a concern of mine and my fellow Transit Rider Council members to your attention. On Thursday, December 16, 2010 the Council had an active discussion regarding the renaming of the Broadway-Nassau station. The Council shares my concern that the renaming of the station was never brought before the MTA Board. I would like to get clarification on the current and historic process for renaming stations with regard to Board input, and on behalf of the Transit Riders Council I would like to request that the current protocol be clarified to insure that such an important change as renaming a station be brought before the Board in the future. ”
And, secondly, to NYCT President Tom Prendergast:
“As you know, the change of the name of the Broadway-Nassau station is a source of some bewilderment amongst riders and thus was actively discussed at our last Transit Rider Council meeting on December 16, 2010. While you and I may easily drop the old name and embrace Fulton Street in the spirit of the new Fulton Transit Center, the way this was done raises some important issues. As such, the Council has requested a determination from MTA Chairman Jay Walder as to why the Board was not notified about the Broadway-Nassau name change and particularly why recent name changes have not been coming before the Board. Had the changes been brought before the Board I would have asked, at the very least, for a “transition period”, in which posters would notify customers about the change. While I understand the reasoning in bringing the name change for Atlantic/Pacific/Barclays Center to the Board, as a third party was involved, and paying to have their name inserted in the station name, this should not preclude the Transit Committee’s commenting and approval of such a major action.
I am formally requesting that the name change for Broadway-Nassau Street be reconsidered by the placement of signs that read “Broadway-Nassau/Fulton St” at the very least for a transitional period. This would keep a semblance of the old name, while recognizing the value of the new transfer.”
The NYCTRC looks forward to a response from Walder and Prendergast.