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The next RTA ADA Advisory Committee meeting will be held on January 18, 2011 from 1:30 PM until 3:30 PM in the RTA Pink Conference Room on the 15th Floor. Pease contact Michael VanDekreke at (312) 913-3204 (voice), (312) 913-3122 (TTY) or by email at
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if you need an accommodation to attend the meeting at least three (3) business days before the meeting.
On Monday, October 18 2010, the RTA ADA Advisory Committee met. Those in attendance are listed at the end of this memo. This memo is a summary of the items covered.
Welcome and Introductions: Michael VanDekreke began the meeting by welcoming all in attendance and reading the agenda. Mr. VanDekreke asked all Committee members to introduce themselves followed by introductions of all of those who were in attendance in the audience. All individuals in attendance at the meeting are listed at the end of the summary.
Reading and Approval of the 7/12/10 Minutes: Michael VanDekreke asked if there was a motion to approve the minutes as submitted. Lynn O’Shea made a motion to approve the minutes and Bob Griffin seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Public Comment Request for End of Meeting: Mr. VanDekreke explained that at the end of the meeting there is time for Public comment and that at the beginning of the meeting the Committee takes requests for individuals who would like to speak at that time. Heather Armstrong, Garland Armstrong and Jim Watkins asked to be placed on the list for public comment.
RTA Staffing and Building Changes: Michael VanDekreke explained recent changes in the floors the RTA occupies in the building and staffing changes. He begin by explaining that the RTA previously occupied the second (2nd) and fifteenth (15th) floors of the 175 W Jackson Building, but earlier in the year the RTA was giving the opportunity to change the lease agreement in order to save money and obtain additional space that was needed to accommodate staffing needs. Therefore the RTA sublet the second (2nd) floor to another organization and took over a lease for the 16th floor space. The change in lease agreements provided the additional space that was needed for staff and saves the RTA a considerable amount of money over the course of the lease agreement. In addition, the Travel Information Center was moved from the 175 W Jackson Building to the Metra building at 547 W Jackson and all of the RTA staff that were on the second (2nd) floor of the building were moved to the fifteenth (15th) floor with the majority of the RTA staff. The sixteenth (16th) floor contains the RTA Board Room, the executive staff offices, the Communications Department, Information Technology Department and the Government Affairs Department. Next Michael VanDekreke explained some changes in staffing. Mr. VanDekreke explained that Stephen Schlickman’s last day as Executive Director was October 1, 2010 and Mr. Joe Costello our CFO, will be the acting Executive Director while there is a search being conducted for the next Executive Director. In addition, Mr. James Riley, our past Chairman of the RTA Board, left the position as Chairman on May 27, 2010 because he was appointed to be the Trustee of the McPier Foundation, which meant that he had to resign as the Chairman of the RTA Board. Mr. John Gates was appointed as the new Chairman of the RTA Board of Directors during the August 2010 RTA Board Meeting. Michael read a bio for Mr. Gates, which is also posted on the RTA website.
Service Boards’ ADA Committees Update: Mr. Jim Ferneborg from Metra gave a brief update of the status of the newly forming Metra Accessibility Committee. Mr. Ferneborg stated that an application for the Committee will be posted on the Metra website and all new members will be chosen by Metra Management. Metra hopes to have the first meeting of the new Metra Accessibility Committee in the first quarter of 2011. Commissioner Karen Tamley reported that she attended the Chicago Pace ADA Advisory Committee in September, 2010 and stated that Melinda Metzger from Pace gave a presentation on the vehicle specification that will be included in the request for proposals (RFP) for the purchase of new paratransit vehicles, and the RFP process is just in the beginning stages. Cara Levinson from the CTA reported that the CTA had their first meeting of the newly formed CTA ADA Advisory Committee on Tuesday of the previous week. The committee discussed elevator/escalator outages statistics, statistics on complaints to CTA customer service, updates on the CTA fleet and they introduced all of the new committee members.
Follow-Up on Bylaws: Mr. VanDekreke reminded the committee that during the last RTA ADA Advisory Committee meeting the Committee approved the bylaws, but there were a few items that the Committee wanted to revisit at the next meeting. Mr. VanDekreke explained that the RTA Board of Directors approved the bylaws of the committee. Mr. VanDekreke then asked the Committee if they wanted to discuss the concerns that were voiced by Ms. Amber Smock about the bylaws at the last meeting. Ms. Smock reported that her concern at the time was making sure that there was a clear process of communication in place between the RTA and the RTA ADA Advisory Committee. Ms. Smock stated that she thought about her concerns and decided that she would like to wait to see how the Committee functions for awhile to see if there is need to revisit the way the bylaws are written. Mr. VanDekreke asked all other Committee members if they had any other concerns about the bylaws we should discuss. The Committee members did not voice any concerns at this time.
Presentation: RTA Interagency Signage Project: Mr. VanDekreke introduced Kevin Stanciel, the RTA Division Manger of Regional Coordination who gave the presentation on the RTA Interagency Signage Project. Mr. Stanciel explained that this project is aimed at providing coordinated information at interagency transfer locations. The goal is to make the interagency transfer process as seamless as possible. Therefore, the RTA is leading a project to develop an interagency signage program through a partnership with the Service Boards and local municipal partners including the City of Chicago, the City of Evanston, the City of Joliet and the Village of Evergreen Park. The concept development, user testing, preliminary design and engineering stages have been completed, a bid package has been released and a contract has been approved by the RTA Board of Directors to develop the signs. Four (4) sites have been selected to demonstrate the signs which include, the VanBuren Metra Station, Davis Street in Evanston, Joliet Union Station and 95th and Western in Chicago. These four (4) locations were selected to test the long term usability of the products, including the functionality of the signs and hardware. These sites were chosen to test a variety of transfer situations, environmental conditions and modal combinations. The testing period is two years. Mr. Stanciel then reviewed examples of all of the types of signs and the function of each with the Committee Members. He explained that after the two year testing period the project would be brought before the RTA Board with recommendations from staff and input from customers to determine if the signs will be rolled out across the system. If it was decided by the RTA Board of Directors that the signs would be used, the roll out of the signs would be over two (2) to three (3) year period. Mr. Stanciel reported that he will notify Mr. VanDekreke when the signs are ready to be installed at the test sites so that the Committee could be invited to go test the signs and give input into their functionality. Ms. Cara Levinson from CTA asked how these signs would be made accessible for people who are blind. Mr. Stanciel stated the signs meet minimum accessibility requirements. Ms. Levinson then asked how the RTA plans to evaluate success of the signs over the long term. Mr. Stanciel reported that the RTA plans to conduct surveys of riders to evaluate how it helped customers complete interagency trips. Ms. Levinson asked how the RTA will determine the correlations between the signs and increased interagency ridership. Mr. Stanciel reported that it would be done through rider report through surveys, which is usually how this type of analysis is done in the industry. Mr. Greg Polman asked if the RTA has worked with people with visual disabilities to see if the signs work for them, specifically with size and contrast. Mr. Stanciel reported that the signs were tested with test groups and the RTA works with consultants and the Service Boards on accessibility issues. Mr. Polman asked if this was going to be the sign standard going forward. Mr. Stanciel reported that it depends on the results of the two year test period. Mr. Polman then recommend that in the future the signs should created with a universal design concept rather than just meeting minimal sign accessibility standards so there can be equal access for all including those that are blind or visually impaired. Commissioner Tamley asked if the height of the sign is correct for accessibility and if raised text or Braille can be included on the signs. Mr. Stanciel reported that sign height was a part of the initial testing. Additionally, Commissioner Tamley stated that the RTA should include people with various mobility abilities to test the sign before the next stage. Mr. Stanciel agreed. Ms. Amber Smock asked if the RTA feels that the minimal ADA requirements as a standard is acceptable or if the RTA feels that universal design should be the standard on all RTA projects. She continued by stating that all projects should be evaluated from the beginning to make sure they are fully accessible. Barry Taylor asked if there was a mechanism in place for the committee to give feedback to the RTA Board on topics such as these. Mr. VanDekreke stated that the Bylaws state that the Chairman of the Committee makes quarterly reports to the RTA Board and during those reports formal recommendations from this Committee would be given. Mr. VanDekreke continued and stated that the recommendations would need to be made by a motion and approved by the Committee as a whole. A motion was made by Amber Smock stating that whenever there is a new RTA project, a universal design concept is the standard as part of the project design process. Barry Taylor seconded the motion. Discussion of the motion then ensued. Through discussion, the motion was revised to state that “Any new RFP includes a question that asks the vendor to explain how they will meet accessibility needs for people with disabilities”. Lynn O’Shea seconded. The recommendation passed unanimously. Lynn O’Shea made another motion that the RTA develop a universal design standard for all future RFPs. Emily Karry seconded that motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Presentation: RTA Funding Programs: Mr. VanDekreke introduced Joe Voccia, Program Manager of the Special Programs Division of the RTA who manages the RTA Funding Programs. Mr. Voccia explained that RTA has two planning programs and two programs that that can fund capital projects. The two planning programs are called Community Planning and Regional Planning and both are intended to match the RTA’s strategic plan with the goals of communities. These planning projects can include transit oriented development projects, circulation access improvements in and around transit facilities, access to jobs and projects to improve mobility for seniors and people with disabilities. In addition there are sub-regional planning projects that look at transportation land usage from a corridor and multi-jurisdictional perspective including understanding transportation markets and land use options in the area studied. In addition, the Innovation Coordination and Enhance Program, known as ICE, the Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) and New Freedom programs provide operating and capitol assistance. Mr. Voccia explained the selection process for the programs in general. Mr. Voccia went on to specifically discuss JARC and New Freedom programs. He explained that all criteria for these programs reflect the strategies determined by the RTA’s Human Services Transportation Plan (HSTP) that was adopted by the RTA in 2007. All JARC/New Freedom project proposals have to prove how they will meet strategies set forth in the HSTP. Mr. Voccia went into more detail about what types of projects are funded by JARC and New Freedom. In summary, JARC programs include projects that increase job access opportunities and/or provide increased transportation options for reverse commute situations and New Freedom programs include projects that increase accessibility options for people with disabilities and provide services above and beyond the minimum requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Mr. Voccia stated that if people want more information about the programs they can visit the RTA website at rtachicago.com, the RTAMS website at rtams.org or they can contact him directly at (312) 913-3241.
Presentation: Regional ADA Programs Overview: Mr. VanDekreke introduced Rosemary Gerty, the RTA Division Manager of Operations Analysis and Research. Ms. Gerty gave a brief overview of all of the programs that are specifically targeted to the disability community in the region. The purpose of this presentation was to give Committee Members an overview of the accessibility programs across the region and how they work together. Ms. Gerty explained the regions’ public information and outreach efforts including the RTA Travel Information Center, the various elevator status lines, and the RTA website that has an accessibility tab that outlines the accessible programs in the region. She also discussed the RTA Travel Training Program and highlighted the importance of people with disabilities and Committee Members using the fixed route system and talking about its accessibility when discussing transportation options. Ms. Gerty highlighted various accessibility features across the fixed route system on vehicles and at stops and stations. Ms. Gerty discussed various ride free programs across the region and reduced fare programs for people with disabilities and seniors. Rosemary briefly discussed ADA Paratrnasit Service, the Taxi Access Program, Dial-A-Ride Programs and Metra P-8. Ms. Gerty stated that the goal of the ADA was to mainstream people with disabilities onto the mainline system. She explained that that the RTA ADA Paratransit Certification program helps determine and individual’s eligibility for paratransit and times in which individuals should be using the mainline system. Finally, Ms. Gerty discussed that the RTA Board of Directors has a committee called the Mobility Limited Committee that makes decisions on programs that serve individuals with disabilities. Ms. Smock asked Ms. Gerty if the RTA has ever done a review of universal design standards across the region. Ms. Gerty stated that there has been quite a bit of literature that has emerged over the past ten (10) years on universal design, but there is no clear definition of what universal design would mean in the context of public transportation. Ms. Gerty suggested that perhaps this Committee could help the RTA define what that term means for our region.
Public Comment: Mr. VanDekreke explained that speakers have a three (3) minute time limit each to make public comment. Ms. Heather Armstrong stated that she feels that if the CTA does not fix their wheelchair securement straps, which are always stuck, the RTA should take the buses away and give them to Pace. Mr. Garland Armstrong explained that the Metra Harlem Avenue station on the BNSF and the DesPlaines station on the UPNW line are now accessible, but those two stations are not marked as accessible in the timetables yet. Mr. Ferneborg explained that sometimes stations appear accessible, but Metra makes sure they are accessible before updating the timetables to reflect a change in accessibility. If a station is found accessible or partially accessible, the timetable will be updated during the next printing. Lastly, Mr. Jim Watkins stated he hopes the committee can navigate the RTA structure to advocate effectively and is happy with the direction of the Committee so far.
Adjournment: Emily Karry made the motion to adjourn the meeting, Bob Griffin seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
In Attendance:
Voting Committee Members
Bob Griffin
Emily Karry
Lynn O’Shea
Amber Smock
Greg Polman as alternate for Dr. Janet Szlyk
Barry Taylor
Non-Voting Committee Members
May Beth Clark
Jim Ferneborg
Cara Levinson
Commissioner Karen Tamley
Michael VanDekreke
Other RTA and Service Board Staff:
Anne LeFevre
Rosemary Gerty
Kevin Stanciel
Joe Voccia
Carmelina Piedra
Suzanne Snipes
Al Cacciottolo
Public:
Jim Watkins
Heather Armstrong
Garland Armstrong
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