[nfbmi-talk] freep story on mi flier lawsuit etc

[joe harcz Comcast]

Note:

 

The hearing for this is this Friday in Federal District Court. Goes to the resolution Fred Wertzel wrote and which was unanimously adopted by convention assembled yesterday here in Flint.

Just an additional FYI from the Free Press.

 

Joe

 

Pick-up, drop-off change at Metro Airport challenged 

Detroit Free Press

Oct. 13, 2014

 

A plan that halted drop-off and pick-up of passengers in public transportation vehicles at the international

arrivals location at Detroit's Metro Airport is meeting resistance. A hearing is set for Friday on a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit against

the Wayne County Airport Authority for moving AirRide and SMART pick-up and drop-off stops to the airport's Ground Transportation Center from the arrival

area of the McNamara international terminal. The suit, filed in September, says the changes pose numerous accessibility issues in violation of the Americans

with Disabilities Act of 1990. The suit states it was filed on behalf of Michael Harris, of Westland, who uses a wheelchair, and is the executive director

of the Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Karla Hudson, of East Lansing, who is blind. They are represented by Southfield attorneys Jason M. Turkish

and Melissa M. Nyman. The suit says the Ground Transportation Center presents numerous accessibility problems and is patently out of compliance with the

ADA. Michael Conway, a spokesman for the airport authority, said he could not comment on the lawsuit. However, he said the changes, which took effect September

22, were made for the safety of travelers. "We want our passengers, whether on buses or planes, to be safe," Conway said. "Safety is our number one priority.

"The current location for pick-up and drop-off at the international arrivals curb has become too congested," said Airport Authority CEO Thomas Naughton

in a Sept. 19 press release. "SMART and AirRide motor coaches will move to the Ground Transportation Center to create a safer environment for all of their

customers exactly like it operates at the North Terminal. Naughton went on to say in the release: "DTW's international passenger traffic and AirRide's

business have both grown, creating unacceptable congestion in the international arrival lanes creating a safety hazard for pedestrians and public and private

vehicles and in the area. We have observed numerous recurring instances of AirRide motor coaches loading or unloading passengers two or three lanes from

the curb and have observed vehicles passing the AirRide bus on the right while pedestrians are in the street. Once the Airport Authority determines that

a safety hazard exists, we are obligated to address it. International traffic at DTW increased 6.9% in 2012, 2.8% in 2013 and is trending up 3.8% in 2014,

according to the release.