Tzipporah.Benavraham@f607.n107.z1.fidonet.org (Tzipporah Benavraham) (04/25/91)
Index Number: 15143
03/29 1404 DOT PROPOSES RULE TO IMPROVE TRANSPORTATION ...
WASHINGTON (MARCH 29) - The Department of Transportation today
proposed a significant rulemaking to improve the accessibility
of transportation services for people with disabilities.
The proposed regulations and standards are required under
the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which passed
Congress with overwhelming majorities and was signed by
President Bush last July.
Secretary of Transportation Samuel K. Skinner said: "One
of the primary goals of the ADA is to make it easier for people
with disabilities to become part of the American mainstream,
by ensuring they have access to adequate public transportation.
This proposed rule would help individuals with disabilities to
better meet their basic employment, educational and health
needs, and also allow them to take advantage of social,
recreational and cultural opportunities."
A major component of the proposed rule covers the
requirement to provide paratransit service to individuals
with disabilities who are unable to use conventional fixed
route transit. Paratransit services are alternative forms
of public transportation that include, for example,
door-to-door van service, scheduled on request of the user.
This program would be administered by the department's Urban
Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA), which would review
plans to be submitted by January 1992 by each public provider
of fixed route service.
UMTA Administrator Brian W. Clymer said: "We have made
every effort to obtain comment and reaction from those
affected by this rulemaking, including transit
representatives, people with disabilities and organizations
that represent them. The rule itself calls for further
consultation and public participation at the local level
to help shape the details of the required implementation
plans."
UMTA convened an advisory committee, composed of transit
industry and disability group representatives, to discuss
issues in the rulemaking. The group met in January and
is scheduled to meet again in June to consider comments
submitted concerning today's proposal.
Under the proposal, paratransit service offered must be
comparable to fixed route service, including hours of
service, fares and service areas covered. The proposed
rule would require "next day" service for paratransit, with
no restrictions based on the purpose of a trip.
Public transportation providers would be required to offer
comparable paratransit service unless doing so would impose
an undue financial burden. The rule includes provisions
for undue financial burden waivers. Requests for waivers
would be decided on a case-by-case basis.
Transit systems with inaccessible commuter, rapid and
light rail stations would be required to identify "key"
stations, following a public participation process, and make
them accessible within three years, with some extensions
available up to 20 to 30 years. The rulemaking also
proposes criteria for designating these key stations.
On March 20, The Architectural and Transportation
Barriers Compliance Board, an independent agency
established by Congress in connection with the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973, proposed guidelines for accessible vehicles
and transportation facilities. These will be incorporated
in DOT's rule.
Under the ADA, the Department of Justice, the Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission and the Federal
Communications Commission are also required to issue
rules to implement the legislation.
A previous ADA-related DOT rulemaking (Oct. 4, 1990)
set out purchase requirements for authorities that buy or
lease vehicles to ensure that they are accessible to people
with disabilities.
In connection with today's proposal, UMTA has scheduled
six public hearings, to be held in Kansas City, Mo. (April
23); Seattle (April 25); Los Angeles (April 30); New York
City (May 7); New Orleans (May 8); and Washington (May 9).
For further information, contact Susan Schruth,
202-366-4011.
Comments on the rule, to be published in the April 4
issue of the Federal Register, must be submitted by June 3.
There is a statutory deadline of July 26, 1991 for a
final DOT rule.
CONTACT: Roslyn Kaiser of the Department of Transportation,
202-366-5571, or Jerry Brown of the Urban Mass Transportation
Administration, 202-366-4043
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