Skip the L’s Third Avenue stop? One rider’s model says commuters would save time
A 23-year-old software engineer ran MTA trip data through a simulation and found that dropping the Third Avenue stop would save riders 1,824 hours a day.
Joshua Wolk, a 23-year-old software engineer who lives in Stuyvesant Town, is pushing for a trial shutdown of the Third Avenue stop on the L in Manhattan. His website, Stop the Stop, argues that if trains skipped the station, riders would save a combined 1,824 hours a day.
Third Avenue is about a five-minute walk from both First Avenue and Union Square, and each of those stations draws far more riders. Wolk boards at First Avenue himself. He started studying ridership when he saw that few riders stepped off at Third Avenue, and a friend had noticed the same thing.
How the L train Third Avenue analysis works
Wolk worked from the MTA’s public ridership records for the first eight months of the year, about 700 million rides in all. He combined them with subway timetables and modeled what would happen if each of 356 stations were removed, one at a time. Every added minute on foot counted double compared with a minute aboard a train. Even with that penalty, Third Avenue showed the largest gain. He estimates the station handles about 11,200 riders a day.
Several other stops also scored high. On the 4 and 5, skipping 138th Street-Grand Concourse would save an estimated 1,118 hours daily. The 7’s Hunters Point Avenue stop could save as many as 1,024 hours. Elsewhere on the L, Grand Street would save around 939 hours and Graham Avenue around 391.
Some closures would backfire badly. The worst case in his model is the 34th Street-Penn Station stop served by the A, C and E: losing it would cost riders close to 22,000 extra hours each day. Dropping the Q’s 72nd Street stop would add over 10,000 hours, and shutting First Avenue on the L would add 6,453. “Proximity to other stations was one of the biggest factors,” Wolk said.
Petition for a trial closure
Wolk has gathered about 500 signatures on a petition asking for a trial closure of Third Avenue. He spoke at a Community Board 3 meeting, and clips of his remarks spread widely on social media. He is also in touch with a local elected representative. He has not spoken with the MTA.
“I’d really ask them to look at the outpouring of support for closing this station,” he said. He added that the online debate cuts both ways.
Quick answers
Is the MTA closing the L train's Third Avenue station?
No. The idea comes from rider Joshua Wolk, who is petitioning for a trial closure and has not spoken with the MTA.
How much time would closing Third Avenue save?
Wolk's simulation projects a combined 1,824 hours saved per day across riders.
Which station closure would hurt riders most?
In his analysis, closing 34th Street-Penn Station on the A, C and E would add nearly 22,000 hours to daily trips.
