By Galen Patterson
Arcadia’s City Council voted in favor of expanding plans to make public transit stops more disability friendly.
In a unanimous vote at Tuesday evening’s City Council meeting, councilmembers decided to use available funds for larger scoped improvements.
According to the staff report, in 2017 the City Council approved the use of $50,000 of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to improve public transit stops, pertaining to the specifications set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The city was recently informed that is has $210,000 in unused funds in the grant for the 2019-2020 year.
The proposed enhancements are designed to impact both regional transit stops, and those which are used by Arcadia-specific transportation systems.
Noted areas of projected improvement are increased waiting areas, more benches, shelters, trash receptacles and sidewalks or access ramps. The city also plans to add kiosks at some of the more popular stops along Huntington Drive.
The funding for this project comes from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and does not require any additional funding from the city.
ADA was passed and enacted in the early 1990s. The aim was to make travel easier and safer for people with disabilities in the U.S.
ADA is the reason many sidewalk corners have truncates dome panels in bright colors and scored concrete pads with downward sloping lines. These are warning surfaces that tell the blind when they are at a designated street crossing.
The improvements are being made because Arcadia has determined that they have had positive community impact in the past, and want Arcadia to be more accessible to people that have difficulty getting around.
