Frequent Metro riders probably noticed the new, taller faregates at the Westlake/MacArthur Park Station. They’re not in operation yet, but Metro hopes they will motivate more people to pay their fares and cut back on people popping open the emergency exit to get out of the station.
The new design is replacing the longstanding turnstiles with wider, paddle-door gates that reach 7 feet high, making them harder to jump or walk around.
Some Metro riders say they’re ready for the new fare gates, which have begun appearing across the rail system, while others question whether the infrastructure is the right choice to deter fare evasion.
At Westlake/MacArthur Park station, one rider said the gates were a welcome change.
“I see people using the emergency for free all the time, so I think that’s why they’re putting in the taller gates,” Olivia Garcia said. “I don’t think it’s fair for me to pay and follow the rules and others not to.”
Others expressed mixed feelings.
“I don’t have many thoughts about it. If it works, it works,” Jaime Serra said. “Maybe free transit for people who need it is a better way to spend money than putting up the gates.”
The new equipment at Westlake/MacArthur Park has been delivered and installed, but still requires work before it can go live, Metro spokesperson Maya Pogoda said.
“This is likely to take a few weeks. For now, the older turnstiles remain in place,” Pogoda said.
The remaining work needed to get them online includes wiring and system testing, according to Metro.
At Wilshire/Vermont, where the new gates are already operating, Metro rider Sky Nguyen said it’s an improvement for riders who rely on wheeled devices.
“I like it because it’s easier for me to take my scooter through,” he said.
Metro says the early results are promising.
The gates have already resulted in declines in fare evasion at the first two stations where they were installed and are being rolled out to more than a dozen locations, Pogoda said.
The installation of the faregates coincided with a 70% drop in rider and employee-reported incidents on Metro’s Transit Watch App, including “fights or disturbances, graffiti, theft as well as smoking and drug activity,” Pogoda said.
