Federal Transit Administration November 4, 2015 Subject: americans with disabilities act (ada): guidance
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- 3.10Public Transportation Programs and Activities in Existing Facilities
- Discussion
3.9Key StationsGiven that many fixed-guideway systems in the United States were constructed prior to enactment of the ADA, and recognizing that exclusive reliance on new construction and alterations would result in little-to-no improvement in accessibility for those systems, the ADA required public entities operating rapid and light rail systems and commuter rail systems to identify “key stations” that would be altered in the near term to ensure a basic degree of usability by individuals with disabilities (42 U.S.C. § 12147(b) for rapid rail and light rail and 42 U.S.C. § 12162(e)(2)(a) for commuter rail). Stations that were not designated as key stations were not originally required to be made accessible; however, if non-key stations undergo alterations after January 26, 1992, the DOT Standards apply as discussed above in Circular Sections 3.3 and 3.4, respectively. The DOT ADA regulations in §§ 37.47–37.51 incorporated these requirements. By statute, the deadline for key station compliance was July 26, 1993. For rapid rail and light rail systems, the FTA Administrator could have extended this deadline until July 26, 2020, for extraordinarily expensive structural changes to or replacement of existing facilities, provided that two-thirds of a system’s key stations were compliant by July 26, 2010. For commuter rail systems, the FTA Administrator was permitted to extend the deadline to July 26, 2010. The primary requirement for key stations is to alter the stations to provide at least one fully accessible entrance and accessible route to all areas necessary for the use of the transportation system. In many cases, this requires the installation of elevators, which may necessitate coordination with municipalities or other entities to acquire the necessary right-of-way. Key stations must meet the DOT Standards in the same manner as other new or altered stations with several exceptions. The DOT Standards for key stations provide exceptions for route-specific entrances and direct connections to pre-existing non-transportation facilities. In addition, pre-existing escalators are not required to comply. Thus, upon completion of the required alterations to the key station, people using wheelchairs can reach all primary function areas needed to use the station (including platforms, ticketing, toilets, waiting rooms, drinking fountains, etc.), although their path of travel may vary from the general public access route. In addition, the key station must meet all other DOT Standards throughout for elements in place when the station was made accessible, including signs, detectable warnings on platform edges, accessible fare vending, text telephones, visual display of public address announcements, etc. Any subsequent alterations transit agencies make to key stations must comply with the DOT Standards.
Requirement“A public entity shall operate a designated public transportation program or activity conducted in an existing facility so that, when viewed in its entirety, the program or activity is readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities” (§ 37.61(a)). DiscussionAs discussed in Appendix D to § 37.61, “this provision is intended to cover activities and programs of an entity that do not rise to the level of alteration. Even if an entity is not making alterations to a facility, it has a responsibility to conduct its program in an accessible manner.” The following are examples of accessible and usable programs and activities: User-friendly fare cards Accessible websites and mobile applications User-friendly schedules Edge detection on rail platforms Adequate lighting Use of telecommunication display devices (TDDs), 711 Relay telephones, broadcast text messaging, and similar devices for use by individuals with speech and hearing disabilities Enhanced wayfinding and signage for people with visual impairments, including public address announcements and text-to-speech devices Continuous pathways for individuals with visual disabilities, wheelchair users, or individuals with mobility disabilities, including the elimination of obstructions caused by trash cans, newspaper stands, and maintenance equipment Public address systems and clocks According to Appendix D, “[DOT] did not prescribe one list of things that would be appropriate for all stations.” FTA encourages transit agencies to consider as many actions short of alteration to accommodate the needs of individuals with disabilities. Attachment 3-1 Optional Facilities Checklist for New Construction and Alterations This optional checklist provides a format for design review of new or altered facilities and for inspection during construction. It can also be used for review of existing facilities to determine whether maintenance or corrective action is needed. The checklist includes all of the Section 810 transportation facility requirements and the Section 201 requirements for stairways. Other requirements in the DOT Standards apply if they are included in transportation facilities (e.g., public toilets and drinking fountains), but are not included in this checklist. In addition, this checklist does not address the exceptions in Section 206.4.4 specific to key stations. Contents
1 Parking (DOT Standards 208, 502)
2 Passenger Loading Zones (DOT Standards 209, 503)
3 Bus Boarding and Alighting Areas (DOT Standards 209, 218.4, 810) Identify bus boarding and alighting facilities within the scope of review and complete the following sheet for each of them. Where the transit entity does not control the facility and connections to and from it, coordination with the municipality or other controlling entity is recommended.
Directory: sites -> fta.dot.gov -> files -> docs docs -> Federal Transit Administration Safety Advisory 14-1: Right-of-Way Worker Protection docs -> Alternative Fuels and Propulsion Vehicle Incentives docs -> Job Access Reverse Commute (jarc) Program fy 2010 Service Profiles docs -> Review of the new jersey transit corporation docs -> Review of new Jersey Transit Corporation docs -> Review of the jacksonville transportation authority docs -> Jacksonville Transportation Authority Assessment of ada complementary Paratransit Service Capacity Constraints June 8-11, 1999 docs -> Final policy statement docs -> 1200 New Jersey Ave, se washington, dc 20590 Download 1.93 Mb. Share with your friends:
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