New York’s subway is waging a war on fare evasion with hostile architecture

The MTA says the spiked partitions it has introduced at 180-plus stations have helped reduce evasions. But at what cost?

In January 2025, subway riders at the 59th Street-Lexington Avenue station in Manhattan noticed a surprising new addition: spiked metal partitions between each fare gate. Some commuters called the partitions “silly and foolish.” Others said they were “a waste of money.”