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Agenda Item # 8

BOARD MEMORANDUM

BACKGROUND: 

The Palo Alto Transit Center isa newly constructed inter-modal transit facility located adjacent to the Palo Alto Caltrain Station.   The transit center facilitates the average weekday activities of approximately 3,500 passengers and 800 buses operated by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, San Mateo County Transit, Dumbarton Express and Stanford Marguerite.  

The planning and design of this state-of-the-art transit center was a collaborative effort between VTA and the neighborhood businesses, San Mateo County Transit District, Stanford University and City of Palo Alto.   The project was funded by Federal Transit Administration grant and the 1996 Measure B Transportation Improvement Program and completed in December 2005 at the cost of $7.4 million.       

On December 6, 2005, VTA received a complaint from a customer with a visual disability who came in contact with the VTA logo sign attached in the 19-inch opening between the two poles supporting an overhead bus stop sign and light at the transit center.

DISCUSSION:

The Palo Alto Transit Center has been designed and built in accordance with Federal ADA Architectural Guidelines (ADAAG) and state building codes.   All accessible routes in the transit center are clearly defined by the standard yellow raised pedestrian guide strips installed on the passenger plaza. These guide strips assist transit patrons with visual disabilities to the specific bus stop boarding area marked by the Braille signs.  The installation of the guide strips at the Palo Alto Transit Center exceeds the requirements of both the AGAAG and state building codes.

The two poles supporting the bus stop sign and light are installed parallel to and at the end of the accessible route.   For transit patrons with visual disabilities to come in contact with the VTA logo sign placed between the two poles at five feet from the surface of passenger plaza, the patron would need to approach the bus stop without using the accessible route and travel perpendicular to the two poles.  Perhaps with the facility being new, the customer that hit the logo sign did not realize that the raised guide strips were installed.

VTA staff responded to the complaint by conducting research into finding an appropriate device to enhance the ability of patrons with visual disabilities to avoid contact with the VTA logo sign.   Staff identified five key criteria for the selection of an enhancement device.

• provide effective detection to a sweeping cane between the poles
• not jeopardize the safety of passengers at and around the bus stop
• be vandal resistant and resilient in high traffic public environment
• be visually complementing to the design of the new transit center
• be cost effective    

In an effort to find an acceptable solution, staff developed a custom designed metal disc, one inch high and three inches in diameter because VTA staff was unable to locate a device in the market place that met all of the VTA criteria.  Two discs would be installed on pavement, spaced equally between the two bus stop poles.  VTA’s proposed modification was forwarded to the customer who submitted the complaint.  In turn, staff at the Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired were consulted and asked for their comments at the request of the customer.

After review, VTA received an endorsement for the proposed enhancement device from both the customer and the staff at the Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired.   Following this endorsement, VTA placed an order for fabrication of the discs.  The discs are scheduled for delivery on April 21, 2006.  The installation work will follow shortly and offer added protection.   

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