[il-talk] Fwd: transportation mtg

Mon Oct 24 20:07:53 UTC 2011

These are my notes from various recent transportation activities:

(1) CTA bus shelter audio signage, Wednesday, October 12, 2011 Canal Adams 
17:30 -- audio slightly distortred but intelligible

(2) Thursday, October 13, 2011, Lake Shore Belmont 17:30 We turned down the 
volume from 24 to 23, improving the intermodulation distortion noticeably. 
We tried 22, but had a little more trouble hearing it, given the loud, 
ambient sound of the rain. We tried 21 and figured that it would suffice for 
late night to early morning. We tried 20 and determined that it was too 
soft.

(3) Thursday, October 13, 2011, Transportation Committee Jemal called the 
meeting to order at about 8:05 pm.
Pace put money back into capital, rather than using it for operating. Pace 
proposes to restrict paratransit reservations to daily from 8 am to 5 pm.
Jemal attended the CTA Board today. They did not present a budget, and a 
lady complained that a bus operator made her fold a stroller.
RTA will hold its next ADA Advisory Committee, Monday, October 17. Metra 
will hold its next ADA Advisory Committee, Tuesday, November 1, 2011.
Patti asked Jemal to follow up on the lack of accessibility of CTA'S Chicago 
Card Web Page.
Jemal will check with Indiana Federationists about getting together with 
South Shore railroad officials regarding lack of accessibility of its ticket 
vending machines.
Jemal will publish announcements about various transit budget hearings on 
Il-talk and the Blindness Information Channel of Newsline.
We adjourned at about 8:50 pm.

(4) Monday, October 17, 2011, RTA ADA Advisory Committee
13:35: Michael van de Kreke welcomed everyone. Members and guests introduced 
themselves. We did not have a quorum because some people had not arrived 
yet. We therefore deferred consideration of minutes.
Regional Accessibility includes Travel Training, ADA Certification, Mobility 
Management.
Downtown Connections: New signs at
RTA and APTA have some concerns about final U.S. DOT regs
FTA Workshop, three days: Title Six, EEO and ADA, Nov 17.
RTA Sales Tax Lawsuit: Six villages of Cook County joined. RTA looks to 
resolve this in the spring legislative session, if not during fall veto 
session.
Priority Seating Decales: RTA is funding original purchase of, consistent 
design and message. Service Boards will replace them, as vehicles come in 
for scheduled maintenance. RTA plans marketing efforts.
Committee Structure: A member of the community, not a staff person, should 
preside over the committee and have direct access to the Board.
Meeting Dates, Mondays: Jan. 23 fourth one, otherwise third, April 16, July 
16, October 15.
Travel Training: RTA primarily runs this in-house, except for the 
Lighthouse. Travel training or instruction works with people with 
disabilities or seniors. Trainers work one on one with customers. The 
Lighthouse handles about 15 to 17 people a year. RTA insists that people 
have orientation and mobility skills to walk around their communities first, 
before riding buses and trains. Fixed route offers freedom because people 
can go where they want when they want, without having to book the trip a day 
in advance. People come to travel training if they sign up for it when 
filling out the application form for paratransit. People with physical or 
intellectual disabilities in their 30s to 50s make up the largest segment of 
applicants, along with the occasional senior or young person. RTA wants to 
rename "Classroom Companion," and a suggested name was "Travel Training And 
Transit Orientation."
Pace ADA Paratransit Budget, including Taxi Access Program (TAP): Pace 
expects to go in debt about $4.5 million, but the ADA budget can cover this 
deficit. Pace expects 5% to 10% addition riding in 2012. Pace proposes to 
save money by centralizing dispatching and reducing reservation time from 6 
am to 7 pm to regular business hours of 8 am to 5 pm. Pace wants to purchase 
new vehicles. Ridership grows by 8.6% annually, but the budget is not. 
Consultants developed a model of how much money Pace would save (reducing 
service to ADA minimum. Pace will have upcoming hearings.
In Public Comments:
Jemal asked about communicating information to blind people about Downtown 
Connections. I discussed the importance of travel concepts, rather than 
learning specific routes.
15:30: We adjourned.

(5) CTA ADA Advisory Committee of Tuesday, October 11, in attached file

Cordially,

Steve Hastaliws

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Patti Gregory" <pattichang at att.net>
To: "il-talk" <il-talk at nfbnet.org>; "Iabs talk" <iabs-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 12, 2011 8:48 PM
Subject: [il-talk] Fwd: transportation mtg

> Reminder: Transportation Committee Meeting @ Thu Oct 13 8pm - 9pm in Via 
> Teleconference, 218.936.1200, code 6324 (webmaster at nfbofillinois.org)
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