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Agenda Item # 12

BOARD MEMORANDUM

BACKGROUND

At its meeting of September 12, 2007, the CTA approved a workplan submitted by the chair, Randy Tamez.   This memorandum provides a status report on activities V T A is taking, or plans to take, to address each item on the CTA workplan.   This memorandum represents V T A’s initial attempt to organize and respond to CTA workplan items, and staff welcomes the Committee’s feedback on the format and content of this report.  V T A is committed to working with the Committee to develop a format that provides an effective means of tracking the status of workplan items and keeping the Committee appropriately informed.

For each item listed on the CTA workplan, this memorandum provides the following information:

Status:   The activity or activities being undertaken by V T A staff and/or CTA members.

Agenda Date:   The date the item will be brought to Committee for consideration, at the direction of the CTA chair and based on discussion with the Committee liaison.

Category:   Whether the item will be brought to the Committee for information, discussion or action.

V T A Assignment:   The V T A department or division primarily responsible for the project.

DISCUSSION

V T A is currently working on or has plans to work on a number of projects that complement the recently adopted CTA Workplan.   The items listed below were selected because Committee members have asked staff to provide monthly status reports or because work by V T A, to some degree, has already begun, but CTA input is still needed before projects can be completed.

Current Activities:

1. Talking signs to allow people with disabilities to use fixed route as independently as possible.

Status: CTA will receive a presentation on Dynamic Passenger Information technology.

Agenda Date:    November 7, 2007

Category: To Be Determined

V T A Assignment: Technology, and Transportation Systems and Operations

2.  Mobility and travel training as a subset of talking signs

Status: CTA will receive a presentation of V T A’s Mobility Options Program.

Agenda Date: October 10, 2007

Category: Information and Discussion

V T A Assignment: Accessible Services

3.  Review of CTA motions and to determine what needs to come back for further review and how motions can be placed on the Board’s agenda for action.

Status:   At the request of Committee members, the motion tracking form that was presented at the August 8, 2007, meeting was revised and will be presented monthly to the Committee.   The CTA chair’s report is a standing item on the TP&O Committee’s agenda.  In addition to providing this report, the CTA chair has been invited by the chair of the TP&O Committee to speak to any issues related to the CTA at the October 18, 2007 meeting.

Agenda Date: October 10, 2007

Category:   Discussion

V T A Assignment: Accessible Services

4.  Fixed-route training specific to bus stop issues, which involves trip planning, travel training, etc.

Status: CTA will receive a presentation on V T A’s Mobility Options Program.

Agenda Date: October 10, 2007

Category: To Be Determined

V T A Assignment: Accessible Services

5.  Joint partnerships with cities for walkable sidewalks for blind and wheelchair users with curb cuts.

Status: V T A’s Congestion Management Program published a Community Design and Transportation Best Practices Manual for Integrating Transportation and Land Use.   The Community Design and Transportation Program and its manual were developed in partnership with Santa Clara County, its cities and towns, developers, designers, community members and member agencies.   The program has a strong emphasis on pedestrian environments, transit, street design, and the interrelationships with sites and buildings.  Accessibility integration, to ensure that individuals with all levels of ability can easily traverse the pedestrian environment, is a component of this program.

Agenda Date: To Be Determined

Category: To Be Determined

V T A Assignment: Congestion Management Program

Future Items:

1. Accessible bus stops, access to the bus stops, safety at the bus stops, etc.   A photo of each bus stop and full descriptions should be up on the website.
2. The calling of bus stops is still an issue and the CTA must have a better response from staff to ensure stops are and will be called.
3. Buses stopping at stops of all sizes.
4. Being able to feel confident on the bus that the driver will call out stop at the requested destination.
5. CTA should get quarterly reports from the various functional areas at the V T A to know what is going on in Congestion Management with long range plans, with ITS (Intelligent Transportation System) planning; features in the Rapid Bus Transit that make it easy or hard for disabled persons to access, etc.
6. CTA wants to receive legislative reports.
7. Identify a lead staff person at V T A for implementing the Hay Group Study to 1) Make sure CTA can comment and be involved (thus far CTA has had no involvement); and 2) CTA follow up on the Hay Group Study sections that address the Accessible Services Department and the recommendation that V T A staff needs to work to take steps to improve their relationships with the disability community and the Broker.

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