Improving Pathways to Transit for Persons with Disabilities (PDF)
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STATE OF CALIFORNIA • DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ADA Notice TECHNICAL REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE For individuals with sensory disabilities, this document is available in alternate TR0003 (REV 10/98) formats. For information call (916) 654-6410 or TDD (916) 654-3880 or write Records and Forms Management, 1120 N Street, MS-89, Sacramento, CA 95814. 1. REPORT NUMBER 2. GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION NUMBER 3. RECIPIENT'S CATALOG NUMBER CA-MTI-16-1233 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. REPORT DATE Improving Pathways to Transit for Persons with Disabilities August 2016 6. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION CODE 7. AUTHOR 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NO. Stephanie DiPetrillo, M.Arch, MCRP, Andrea Lubin, MS, Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, Ph.D., MTI Report 12-59 9. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS 10. WORK UNIT NUMBER Mineta Transportation Institute College of Business San José State University San José, CA 95192-0219 11. CONTRACT OR GRANT NUMBER DTRT12-G-UTC21 12. SPONSORING AGENCY AND ADDRESS 13. TYPE OF REPORT AND PERIOD COVERED California Department of Transportation (Division of Research, Innovation and Systems Final Report Information)MS-42, PO Box 942873,Sacramento, CA 94273-0001 U.S. Department of Transportation Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and 14. SPONSORING AGENCY CODE Technology University Transportation Centers Program 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20590 15. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 16. ABSTRACT Persons with disabilities can achieve a greater degree of freedom when they have full access to a variety of transit modes, but this can only be achieved when the pathways to transit – the infrastructure and conditions in the built environment – allow full access to transit stops, stations, and vehicles. Since passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, many transit agencies and governmental jurisdictions have made significant progress in this area. Policy initiatives, incremental enhancements, modifications, and other measures undertaken by transit agencies and their partners have significantly improved access to transit for persons with disabilities, others who rely on public transportation, and individuals who chose to utilize these services. This research study explores, through case study work, efforts that have been effective in improving pathways to transit. Interviews and site visits were conducted with five transit agencies, along with their partners, that are actively engaged in improving pathways to connect transit consumers – particularly people with disabilities – with transit stations and stops. These agencies are: Broward County Transit (Broward County, FL), Memphis Area Transit Authority (Memphis, TN), NJ TRANSIT (Newark and New Brunswick, NJ), Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (Portland, OR), and Link Transit (Wenatchee, WA). Promising practices and/or lessons were identified through the case study analysis; these should be considered by any transit agency seeking to create improved access to its services for persons with disabilities. 17. KEY WORDS 18. DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT Pathways; public transportation; disability; infrastructure No restrictions. This document is available to the public through The improvements; mobility management National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22161 19. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION (of this report) 20. NUMBER OF PAGES 21. COST OF REPORT CHARGED Unclassified 115 $15.00 Reproduction of completed page authorized. DISCLAIMER STATEMENT This document is disseminated in the interest of information exchange. The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors who are responsible for the facts and accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the State of California or the Federal Highway Administration. This publication does not constitute a standard, specification or regulation. This report does not constitute an endorsement by the Department of any product described herein. This research does not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the Mineta National Transit Research Consortium, the Federal Transit Administration, or anyone who provided information for this research. The authors are solely responsible for the content of this report, including errors and omissions. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. For individuals with sensory disabilities, this document is available in alternate formats. For information, call (916) 654-8899, TTY 711, or write to California Department of Transportation, Division of Research, Innovation and System Information, MS-83, P.O. Box 942873, Sacramento, CA 94273-0001. Improving Pathways to Transit for Persons with Disabilities MTI Report 12-59 MINETA TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE The Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) was established by Congress in 1991 as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Equity Act (ISTEA) and was reauthorized under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st century (TEA-21). MTI then successfully competed to be named a Tier 1 Center in 2002 and 2006 in the Safe,Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). Most recently, MTI successfully competed in the SurfaceTransportation Extension Act of 2011 to be named aTier 1Transit-Focused University Transportation Center. The Institute is funded by Congress through the United States Department of Transportation’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R), University Transportation Centers Program, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), and by private grants and donations. The Institute receives oversight from an internationally respected Board of Trustees whose members represent all major surface transportation modes. MTI’s focus on policy and management resulted from a Board assessment of the industry’s unmet needs and led directly to the choice of the San José State University College of Business as the Institute’s home. The Board provides policy direction, assists with needs assessment, and connects the Institute and its programs with the international transportation community. MTI’s transportation policy work is centered on three primary responsibilities: Research MTI works to provide policy-oriented research for all levels of Department of Transportation, MTI delivers its classes over government and the private sector to foster the development a state-of-the-art videoconference network throughout the of optimum surface transportation systems. Research areas in- state of California and via webcasting beyond, allowing clude: transportation security; planning and policy development; working transportation professionals to pursue an advanced interrelationships among transportation, land use, and the degree regardless of their location. To meet the needs of environment; transportation finance; and collaborative labor- employers seeking a diverse workforce, MTI’s education management relations. Certified Research Associates conduct program promotes enrollment to under-represented groups. the research. Certification requires an advanced degree, gener ally a Ph.D., a record of academic publications, and profession- Information andTechnologyTransf er all references. Research projects culminate in a peer-reviewed MTI promotes the availability of completed research to publication, available both in hardcopy and on TransWeb, the professional organizations and journals and works to MTI website (http://transweb.sjsu.edu). integrate the research findings into the graduate education program. In addition to publishing the studies, the Institute Education also sponsors symposia to disseminate research results to The educational goal of the Institute is to provide graduate-lev- transportation professionals and encourages Research el education to students seeking a career in the development Associates to present their findings at conferences. The and operation of surface transportation programs. MTI, through World in Motion, MTI’s quarterly newsletter, covers San José State University, offers an AACSB-accredited Master of innovation in the Institute’s research and education pro- Science in Transportation Management and a graduate Certifi- grams. MTI’s extensive collection of transportation-related cate in Transportation Management that serve to prepare the na- publications is integrated into San José State University’s tion’s transportation managers for the 21st century. The master’s world-class Martin Luther King, Jr.Library. degree is the highest conferred by the California State Uni versity system. With the active assistance of the California DISCLAIMER The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and accuracy of the information presented herein. This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program and the California Department of Transportation, in the interest of information exchange. This report does not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the U.S. government, State of California, or the Mineta Transportation Institute, who assume no liability for the contents or use thereof. This report does not constitute a standard specification, design standard, or regulation. REPORT 12-59 IMPROVING PATHWAYS TO TRANSIT FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES Stephanie DiPetrillo, M.Arch, MCRP Andrea Lubin, MS Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, Ph.D. Carla Salehian, MA Stephen Gibson, MURP