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Cal-ACT Autumn Conference

ADA Roundtable

September 20-23, 2011

Alane Haynes

North County Transit District

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BUS STOP

AND

PATH OF TRAVEL

ACCESSIBILITY PROGRAM

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ADA Complaint

Federal ADA Complaint 2003

Co-named with County of San Diego

Included non-compliant bus stops, mainly

suburban and rural areas

Self-Evaluation/Transition Plan

County Supervisor provided funding for

improvements (many including shelters

and benches)

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Bus Stop Improvement Program

Developed Bus Stop Handbook Construction contractors

Cities

Developers

MOU’s with cities

Priority list Ridership data

Requests from riders or cities

Approximately $5,000 per for ADA compliance only (no right of way improvements)

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Dilemma

Complaints from riders using mobility

devices where bus drivers could not lower

ramp

Bus Operations created policy on certain

sections where dangerous to stop and pick

up riders in mobility devices

Riders with mobility devices forced to use

paratransit

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Paratransit Certification Eligibility

Category 1 – person with a disability who can’t independently use public fixed route under any circumstances

Category 2 – person with a disability could use fixed route if the vehicles were accessible

Category 3 – prevented by disability or combination of disability and barriers from getting to the boarding location – e.g., travel to bus stop prevented by lack of curb cuts, snow banks, etc.

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“Trip-by-Trip” Eligibility

Regulations allow agencies to restrict paratransit

from certain trips for people in Category III.

Example: a person with mobility device and no other

impediments to mobility could be able to use fixed

route if there are sidewalks and curb cuts

Without bus stop and pathway accessibility

information, impossible to enforce

Essentially, all trips could be taken on paratransit

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Bus Stop/Path of Travel

Accessibility review

Good News!

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel!

Easter Seals Project Action Store

FREE Toolkit for the Assessment of Bus Stop Accessibility

and Safety

Easily modified to meet your needs

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North County Transit District

Challenges:

1100 square miles

~ 2500 bus stops

Limited staff

No money

Resources

Dedicated staff - teamwork

Good relationship with our Metropolitan Planning

Organization, SANDAG

New Freedom Grant money!

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Project Development

Scope of project

Phase I

Develop checklist

Assess bus stops and paths of travel

Photographs

Database

Request Intern

Grant money

Hire staff or reimbursement for time of staff dedicated to

project

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Project Development (cont’d)

Phase II

Staff assist people with disabilities in their trip

planning by determining which routes are

accessible for a successful trip.

Bus stop improvement prioritization

Phase III

Develop a web-based tool so that riders who

desire to be more independent, and have access

to the internet, can determine which routes to their

destination are accessible and plan their own trips.

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Project Implementation

Playing “catch-up” - Letter to all previously

certified “Trip-by-Trip”

Review “Trip-by-Trip” certifications

Application and Health Professional Verification

Determining factors – candidate for program?

Contact and discuss frequent trip patterns

Review database and photographs for

accessibility features of trips

Use Google satellite maps

Make field trips

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Bus Stop Database

2,600 bus stops

2,007 (77%) bus stop “accessible” (vs.

compliant)

1,000 (50%) have 5 x 8 landing area

1,861 (71%) have curb cuts at nearby

intersections

921 located in travel lane (35%)

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Results 249 people with trip-by-trip eligibility contacted

752 trips assessed for pathway and bus stop accessibility

98 people (39%) now taking some trips on fixed route

423 of 752 (56%) assessed trips now taken on fixed route

Approximately 25,000 trips annually now taken on fixed

route previously on paratransit

$600,000 annual cost savings to District

$1,456 annual ($121/mo.) cost savings to individuals

taking two round trips per week (Free Fares F.R.)

Quality of life improvement – independence, spontaneity,

choices

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Results (continued)

City of Oceanside

Path of travel and bus stops in section of City

improved

Working with other cities, County of San

Diego to make improvements

Web interactive accessibility project 95%

complete

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http://projectaction.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=ESPA_BusStopToolkit

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RESOURCES

Easter Seals Project Action Store (free resource

materials)

https://secure2.convio.net/es/site/Ecommerce?store_i

d=9663

ESPA Bus Stop Toolkit

http://projectaction.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?

pagename=ESPA_BusStopToolkit

Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP)

free publications

http://www.tcrponline.org/

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Contact Information

Alane Haynes NCTD: (760) 967-2821

Cell: (760) 994-5458

email: alanehaynes@gmail.com