The MTA Recognizes Your Struggle, Debuts High Heel-Friendly Subway Grates

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Could the perpetual fear of your favorite pair of heels being eaten by subway grates on the sidewalk finally be put to bed? If you live or work on the East Side, maybe. Gothamist writes that in the MTA's latest update on the East Side Access project (an underground venting system has been completed on East 55th Street between Park and Madison Avenues, woohoo!), the transit agency put the needs of this city's fashionable residents first, installing grates that you can actually walk over in heels.

Here's the text from the report: "In order to be easier to navigate for those wearing high-heeled shoes, the sidewalk 'high-heel friendly' grates are made with slip-resistant surfaces and the openings between the cross-bars are only ½ inch wide." An MTA spokesperson also told the website that these grates will appear around the 63rd Street and 96th Street stations of the fabled Second Avenue Subway.

For those who are more visual, a merlot tights-clad pedestrian demonstrates their effectiveness:

Let's just admit that this doesn't look absolutely foolproof — don't those heels look a bit thick to you, too? Those perched upon super-thin stilettos will probably want to stick to solid concrete, just in case.