As if it weren’t enough that the MTA has let the 205th Street D-train station deteriorate into one of the most notoriously dilapidated stations in the subway system, the agency is now depriving the community of its token booth clerk at the 205th Street/Perry Avenue ‘D’ station.

The MTA says that roving agents will remain in the stations, but the token clerks were protected in their booths and able to alert authorities to crimes-in-progress.

Time will tell if the roving agents are really available to local straphangers, particularly the elderly, who will certainly need help in navigating the MetroCard machines. If the station is not regularly staffed, seniors and the handicapped could find themselves excluded from the subway, as the walk up the hill to the other end of the station could pose a significant barrier as could navigating the two-level staircase there.

Council Member Oliver Koppell and Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera railed against the changes at a recent press conference at the station. They also took the opportunity to upbraid the MTA for not including the station in its capital plan for station renovation.

It will take a concerted effort on the part of all our elected officials to get the MTA to do what’s right here. We hope the press conference was the beginning of such an effort.