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| City Bus Help Could be Better |
August 25, 2003 |
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| Albuquerque, NM - Congresswoman Heather Wilson joined with advocates for blind New Mexicans today to ask the City of Albuquerque to pay more attention to the needs of blind bus users. Wilson says she`s heard from several constituents, all sight-impaired, who say required announcements of bus stops are unreliable and have all-too-often resulted in blind passengers missing their stops. In some cases, blind passengers have been forced to disembark at unsafe locations to backtrack to their intended stop.
"We simply want to be able to use our city`s bus system reliably, and not be overly concerned that we`ll miss a stop," says Greg Trapp, executive director of the New Mexico Commission for the Blind.
Wilson and blind advocates, including the NM Commission for the Blind and the state affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind, say it`s a matter of training and leadership and want the City to address the issue.
"We`re not asking the city to spend thousands of dollars on this. In fact, we don`t think any money has to be spent. We simply want the City to be accountable for ADA-required announcements of major bus stops," says Trapp.
"It`s my hope that we can work with the City of Albuquerque to address these issues," says Art Schreiber, President of the National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico. "We simply want blind people to have reliable access to mass transit in Albuquerque."
Last March, Wilson announced $1.3 million in federal funding for the City`s mass transit system, including $1 million specifically for the purchase of new buses out-fitted with devices that automatically announce upcoming intersections and major landmarks. Wilson also says she has added $8 million dollars in the coming federal Transportation funding bill working its way through Congress after the August recess. Six million of those funds are ear-marked to replace aging buses while $2 million will be used for a Westside transit facility. In addition, the federal Department of Transportation just last week released another $1.2 million for the Alvarado Center.
"Just over these two years more than $10 million in federal funds have streamed into our city`s bus system because of the work of our federal delegation," says Wilson. "Any city`s bus system is designed to help low-income and disabled citizens get around town, to shop and to get to work. Based on what I`ve heard from constituents, it sounds to me like there`s a breakdown in our system that needs to be fixed."
Eight years ago, the Commission`s deputy director Jim Salas, helped the City Transit department write an announcement policy. He recently helped develop the automated announcements for the talking machines that announce stops using Global Positioning Satellite tracking. Salas, who faces a 2-hour round-trip bus commute to and from work each day, has used Albuquerque`s mass transit system for twenty-years. HHe`s disappointed with problems he says haven`t gone away.
"In the olden days, somebody who was blind was stuck in the shotgun seat near the door. And, we had to rely on the driver`s memory so he could let us know when we reached our stop," says Salas. "Technology is a marvelous thing, and these machines really help, when they work, of course. But it seems something`s gone wrong. The system isn`t reliable, and we`ve had a hard time getting the city to address the problem."
Trapp agrees, saying the announcement should be made regardless of whether or not a bus driver knows a sight-impaired passenger is aboard. If the auto-announce mechanism is not functioning, or the vehicle is not equipped with such a device, the announcements should be made by the driver using a microphone and speaker, which all buses are equipped with.
"This is an achievable goal because I know that our bus drivers care about the population they serve each and every day," says Wilson. "I don`t think getting these announcements done consistently and reliably is too much to ask."
"We`re very grateful that Rep. Heather Wilson has heard our calls for help," says Trapp. "We just want somebody to acknowledge that there`s a problem, and take appropriate measures to correct the situation."
Salas also added that advocates have worked for many years with Transit to make bus schedules accessible on their Website. Salas and the Commission`s Tech Chief, Edward Vigil, recently met with the Transit website developer to sample a beta version of the software.
"It was great," says Salas of the upcoming features. "I expect Transit to add these new accessible schedules to their Website soon."
Since taking office, Wilson has had two blind students work in her office through her high school and college internship program. The students helped with everyday tasks, including answering phones, filing, and data entry. Both students used JAWS, a program that gives blind computer users full access to computing functions.
Test Results Show Good and Bad of Albuquerque`s Bus System
City Bus Help to Blind Could be Better, Say Advocates
Albuquerque, NM-In 2002, the Coalition for Accessible Transportation (CAT) was given the opportunity to implement a transportation project by way of a $7,500 grant from the Center on Development and Disability awarded to Protection and Advocacy System. The purpose of the tester project was to make an assessment of the SunTran and SunVan systems to determine the following: (1) the extent to which both systems are compliant with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act Title II, and (2) the extent to which both systems are user-friendly for riders with disabilities.
The CAT is an informal group composed of consumers with disabilities, advocates, and staff from various entities that serve persons with disabilities. The mission of CAT is to promote systems of public transportation in New Mexico that are easy to use, readily available, and most importantly, disability-friendly.
The following agencies were part of CAT during the period of time when the transportation tester project was conducted:
* New Mexico Protection and Advocacy System
* Independent Living Resource Center
* People First
* National Federation of the Blind
* American Council of the Blind
* New Mexico Commission for the Blind
* Center on Development and Disability
Results of the tester project were made available to the City in February 2003. Here are some key findings:
In 79% of rides taken, testers reported that the driver waited until they were seated and/or secured before moving the bus (Figure Eleven).
Key comments include:
- I had to hurry and grab a grip to stop from falling.
- He didn`t even wait for anyone to sit down.
In 41% of all rides taken, testers reported that the driver announced major stops and transfer points, while in 59% of all rides he or she did not (Figure Twelve). However, the driver announced stops and transfer points more frequently for testers with obvious visual disabilities (61% of the time) than for testers with obvious non-visual disabilities (42% of the time) or testers with no obvious disabilities (29% of the time) (Figure Thirteen).
In 51% of all rides taken, testers reported that the driver announced their requested stop (Figure Fourteen). However, the driver announced requested stops more frequently for testers with obvious visual disabilities (68% of the time) than for testers with obvious non-visual disabilities (46% of the time) or testers with no obvious disabilities (43% of the time) (Figure Fifteen).
Key Comments included:
- He didn`t stop at my requested stop - he said his ringer was off.
- The driver did not announce all stops, and did not use the PA system.
- The driver did not talk loud enough.
In 95% of rides taken, testers reported that the driver pulled to safe and accessible location for them to exit the bus (Figure Sixteen).
Key Comments Included:
- The exiting stop was not accessible. The stop is on a gravel island, which is dangerous for the blind customer and is not wheel chair accessible.
In fourteen rides, testers reported that they were accompanied by service animals. In ten of the fourteen rides, they also reported that the driver welcomed their service animal "without question" (Figure Seventeen).
In 97% of rides taken, testers reported that the overall condition of the bus was "safe and comfortable" (Figure Eighteen).
In 74% of rides taken, testers reported that the overall quality of service was at "the level they expected" (Figure Nineteen).
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