Is Cortelyou Road-Duane Reade Center In Our Future?

Next week, the MTA is set to discuss the pros and cons of corporations sponsoring subway stations to help provide necessary revenue, as was done in 2009 with Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center.

Like Barclays (which was part of a $4 million, 20 year sponsorship deal), the renaming of other stations would depend on an existing historical connection to the sponsor in question. In addition, so as not to confuse travelers, at least part of the geographical information in each sponsored station’s name would remain. The New York Times says:

According to a copy of the proposed policy, hubs could be renamed only if station names remain “accurate” and “help orient customers as they navigate the M.T.A. network.”

The policy would also require that the authority accept renaming requests only from prospective sponsors “with a unique or iconic geographic, historic or other connection to such facility that would be readily apparent to typical M.T.A. customers.”

What’s your feeling about this? Better to have a Church Avenue-Bank of America station if the alternative is fare prices continuing to rise? (Only kidding about Duane Reade and B of A’s proximity to the stations, of course, not their historical significance.)

Can you not stand the Barclays sponsorship, or is it just a necessary way of getting money to upgrade and repair stations these days–and would you welcome renaming of stations in our area?

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