Image Description: A large white bus motor coach is pulled up to a curb for loading. The front door with stairs is open. The back door is also open with a ramp placed for accessible boarding.
It’s estimated that around 30 percent of American community members are nondrivers, although this may be an undercount and vary greatly by the local population (for example if the local population has more older people or disabled people the number would very likely be higher). For nondrivers (and for everyone living in denser cities where traffic and parking is a challenge), transit options are vital for getting around and doing the things we need to do.
If I hazard a good guess that many (if not most) nondrivers have disabilities, then we also need to ensure transit is accessible and accommodating. It also helps that this is a requirement of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (as a public accommodation) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (as a government service). In 2024, we should definitely be providing accessible and practical transit options across the nation — especially in cities of any size.
Qualities of Accessible Transportation
While there are lots of technical guidelines on transportation available to read, I’m going to stick to the big picture basics of what makes transportation accessible.
Information is accessible. Information about transportation should be easily available and accessible in several formats. This can mean signage, websites, phone numbers, mobile apps, and so forth. People with various disabilities should be able to readily find and understand relevant information, such as through Braille, large print, accessible website design, audio announcements, and more. Multiple layers of information and communication options are important for all people — some of us prefer reading, while others need audio information.
Anyone can board. Anyone should be able to board and use transportation. For me this means ramped entry or elevators. For others it may mean a bus that kneels to reduce stepping up or room for a service animal. Extra time should be available to those who need it, such as people who move slowly or need to maneuver a wheelchair (as an aside, in our data-driven world statistical analysis should be able to include extra time for boarding in transit schedules). Additionally, priority seating areas reserved for people with disabilities should be marked and available to people who need them. (I have lost count on the number of times I have had to ask people to move out of wheelchair parking areas on transit.)
Staff trained. People operating or working in transportation should be trained on how to help disabled passengers and treat them respectfully. I can really tell those who have been trained (or paid attention to the training!) and those who have not in the level of care and understanding when I need assistance with boarding, de-boarding, or riding transportation.
Equipment maintained. This is hugely important and frequently a significant problem, especially in recent years as transit systems have aged without proper maintenance. For example, in recent years I’ve had days when multiple consecutive train station elevators have been broken. The only thing I could do was motor my wheelchair an extra mile to get to a station where an elevator was working. In one city a lawsuit was filed and settled recently where transportation equipment maintenance had been lacking and caused wide inaccessibility to the system and even threatened the safety of disabled riders.
See this website for a more detailed overview of transportation accessibility requirements.
Other Important Aspects of Mobility
It is also important to consider other aspects of local mobility that support people in moving to places they need to go.
Street/sidewalk accessibility. Sidewalks in good repair and safe street crossings are key for rolling in a wheelchair, walking, or using other mobility aides. When I lived in a suburb outside the city, it was a huge challenge because there was no sidewalk I could take in my wheelchair to get to the shopping plaza literally next door to my apartment building. This meant to go grocery shopping I had to travel the edge of a highway! Obviously, this was neither safe nor ideal for anyone in the neighborhood. Ramp access is also crucial. Sidewalks are functional only if I can get up and down. Similarly, safe crossings — like slowing vehicle speeds, cross walks, and lights — are important so that pedestrians (especially wheeled ones who may be less visible due to traveling lower to the ground) can cross streets toward their destination without threat of danger and harm.
Legal requirements are the minimum, not the maximum. It’s great that accessibility transportation guidance is available, but really the legal requirements are the bare minimum responsibility of a locality or community. Regulations written long ago are not keeping up with modern times and are meant to be enhanced with community feedback.
Incorporating feedback from disabled users. To that end, local jurisdictions need to collect and use feedback from disabled people to achieve the best transportation accessibility. Ideally, meetings or advisory groups should be regularly convened, asked for input, then have the feedback constructively used (not filed away). Changes should be measured and tracked, and improvements made to achieve greater accessibility based on both metrics and experiences of community members. Personally, I also think people with disabilities should also be compensated for their time, lived experience, and expertise they are providing (don’t other consultants get paid handsomely for their guidance?).
As we approach another anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is safe to say we know what accessible transportation looks like, we even know how to do it, but actually fulfilling these obligations on a regular basis is something I haven’t always experienced.
It’s important to remember that mobility is a key aspect of living — we all have places we need to go, whether it’s the grocery store, doctor’s office, pharmacy, or restaurant. But if failures in transportation accessibility prevent people getting to places they need to go in daily life, then we are letting down a great many people and unnecessarily shrinking their lives.
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