CTA on View

Improvements Become Reality
by Kevin Irvine, Senior Advocate for Transportation

When the lawsuit filed by EFE and co-counsel against the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) on behalf of Access Living and nine individual plaintiffs for its failure to provide equal access to public trains and buses for riders with disabilities settled as a class action in September 2001, I was excited for a variety of reasons. Chief among them was EFE's success in getting the CTA to agree to installation of audio/visual devices on almost every bus to announce and display the bus stops by Dec. 31, 2003.

As a long-time CTA bus commuter, I learned early on that I had to be mostly dependent on visual landmarks to keep track of the whereabouts of my bus as it made its way toward the Loop. If I had my face buried in a newspaper or if the windows were fogged over due to the weather, I might miss my stop. On far-too-rare occasions, the CTA bus driver would take the initiative to clearly and audibly call out the stops.

More often, the most I might hear would be a mumbled word, probably a street name that was impossible to comprehend unless you were standing at the front of the bus. Needless to say, CTA customers with visual impairments had significant difficulty using the bus to travel independently.

New Automated Stop Announcement System

On Oct. 3, 2002, I heard - and saw - the future of CTA bus travel. It sounds and looks great! The CTA offered Equip for Equality the opportunity to ride on a bus equipped with its new automated stop announcement system. We invited a variety of individuals with visual impairments and several people who are deaf or hard of hearing to join us.

From previous experience, I knew that a crowded bus can make it very difficult to hear even a very loud bus operator if the public address system is not used. That is no longer a problem. I could hear the announcements quite clearly, even though we were engaged in multiple conversations.

CTA has awarded the $14 million contract for the system to Clever Devices, a New York-based company that has installed similar systems in Hawaii, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The Automated Voice (AV) program is a computerized system that determines location and destination by using a global positioning satellite, the bus odometer and a gyroscope, which indicates when there is a change of direction. Upcoming bus stops and transfer points are broadcast over the public announcement system.

Whenever an audible announcement is made, the information is also displayed on an easy-to-read LED screen posted in the front of the bus above the windshield to provide the information to deaf or hard-of-hearing passengers. In between announcements, these screens display the date and time. Another benefit is that the system announces a bus stop requested by a passenger.

To ensure equal access for CTA customers with visual impairments who are waiting at a bus stop, the AV system will make an exterior announcement broadcasting its route number and destination each time the doors open.

Beyond the clear necessity for this system as an access feature for people with visual or hearing disabilities, it will benefit many other CTA customers, including tourists or anyone unfamiliar with the bus route and people whose view is obstructed because of foggy windows or crowded conditions. People with cognitive disabilities who need auditory cues to help them stay oriented and focused will also profit from the new system.

For me, I know that I don't usually "need" the stop announcements on my daily commute after five years of traveling the same two to three bus lines. But I'm looking forward to a very different experience the first time that I need to use a new bus route.

Next stop? Equal access for all! =

EFE Seeks Input from CTA Riders with Disabilities to Enforce CTA Settlement

Equip for Equality is requesting input from people with disabilities who are covered by the class action Settlement Agreement in Access Living et al. v. Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).

"Class Members" are individuals with mobility, vision or hearing disabilities who currently use, have used or have attempted to use the CTA's fixed route bus and rail system, as well as those individuals with mobility, vision or hearing disabilities who have been deterred from such use.

No action is required to become a "Class Member." Input from Class Members is needed to assist Equip for Equality in fulfilling its role as "Class Counsel" charged with representing the interests of the entire Class and enforcing the terms and conditions of the Settlement Agreement.

Under terms of the litigation brought by EFE, there is a five-year period for CTA to fulfill the requirements of the Settlement Agreement. EFE has produced a report to provide information about the lawsuit, the Settlement Agreement, CTA's compliance and a Class Member Advisory Committee, which will enable Class Members to be actively involved in the assessment of CTA's compliance and implementation of Settlement Agreement terms. It will also afford EFE with another source of information about CTA accessibility and provide some guidance for its enforcement efforts.

The report also requests Class Member input related to CTA's performance in several key areas, including the $500,000 "Operational Improvement Fund" (Settlement Agreement Item No. 23) and a "Designated Platform Area" for Gap Filler Deployment (Item No. 8C).

This report is lengthy because of the many areas and issues covered by the Settlement Agreement. EFE anticipates that many Class Members will become or remain active participants to ensure that public transit in Chicago is truly accessible for people with all disabilities.

If you would like EFE to meet with your group or agency, present the information contained in the report and answer questions - or to request a copy of the report (accessible formats available), please contact Senior Advocate Kevin Irvine, toll-free at 800-537-2632, ext. 7321 (voice) or 800-610-2779 (TTY) or kevin@equipforequality.org. For more information, visit EFE online at www.equipforequality.org. =

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