MAAC March 16, 2006 minutes

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MUNI ACCESSIBILITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE (MAAC)
ONE SOUTH VAN NESS, 3RD FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO CA 94103
PHONE (415) 701-4485 FAX (415) 701-4728 TTY (415) 701-4730
www.sfmuni.com/maac

Minutes of March 16, 2006

Members Present:

Leslie Clark (Chair), Jeanne Lynch (Vice-Chair), Ed Harley (Secretary), Arden Wheeler, Ed Evans, Melvin Galloway, Barbara George (JLMB), Bruce Morgan, Bruce Oka, Maurice Wilson

Absent:

Jewel McGinnis (Excused), Rae Chamberlain, Janet Copriviza,

Accessible Services Staff Present:

Jamie Osborne, Annette Williams, Virginia Summerell-Rathke

Guests:

Oliver Gajda (MTA), Peter Straus (MTA/Muni), Sara Billing (SFSU), Bob Planthold, Francisco Alfaro, Jim Neider, Norman Mangalone (Arc), Choi Hankie, Barbara Kolesar (Muni Marketing)

Call to Order:

The meeting was called to order at 1:10PM.

Introductions:

Introductions were made in lieu of a roll call.

Reading and approval of agenda:

The agenda was approved as presented.

Approval of the minutes of February 2006 MAAC meeting:

Jeanne Lynch questioned the use of initials in the minutes instead of names. Per her request, in all future minutes MAAC member’s names will be used in lieu of initials in the minutes. The minutes were approved as presented.

Report from the Chair:

MAAC Chair, Les Clark reported about the MAAC meeting to demonstrate bicycles on Light Rail Vehicles. He thanked Oliver Gajda for organizing the meeting.

Oliver Gajda: Exploration of bicycles on MUNI LRVs

Oliver Gajda introduced himself and described his role as the Assistant Bicycle Program Manager with MTA Planning. He discussed the history of the exploration of bicycle access on MUNI Light Rail Vehicles (LRVs).

Mr. Gajda indicated that a demonstration project to allow bikes on LRVs will last approximately 3 months and will begin in April. He showed a slideshow of pictures from a field trip for MAAC members to observe bicyclists and bikes in a controlled demonstration at Muni’s Green Division.

He introduced students from SFSU’s urban studies program that would be assisting his department and he described the issues that the demonstration project would be exploring. He explained to MAAC members that one of the possible conclusions of the study is that the current policy of not allowing bicycles on LRVs is appropriate.

MAAC questions:

Ed Evans - “Who would be responsible if a bicycle injures a Muni rider during LRV emergency stopping procedures?”
Jeanne Lynch – “I would like to see photos from other cities to see how other transit agencies are accommodating bicycles”
Jeanne Lynch - “I would like to know who is responsible for making the final decision about this issue.”
Francisco Alfaro – “How would bicycles interact with Muni riders who are using service animals?”
Ed Evans – “Is there a possibility for bicycle racks on the outside of the LRVs?”
Bruce Morgan – “What is the time frame for bringing the report back to MAAC and the MTA board?”

Mr. Gajda’s hope is with MAAC’s help, he will be able to draft a report with the data that is collected during the study. He indicated that the following forces are shaping this demonstration project:

1. San Francisco Bicycle Coalition – Has much political power and is very interested in allowing access to public facilities for bicycle riders.

2. MTA General Plan – Due diligence to explore integration of bicycles and LRVs

3. Third Street Light Rail – MTA has committed to explore allowing bicycles on LRV secondary to removing bicycle lanes to make room for LRV tracks and boarding facilities.

Mr. Gajda would like MAAC to help define the scope of the demonstration project. He wants MAAC members to think about what did work during the demonstration.

Mr. Gajda introduced Barbara Kolesar from Muni communications. She will be responsible for sharing information with the public. He committed to presenting his progress back to MAAC committee.

MAAC thanked Mr. Gajda for his presentation and his diligent work on this project.

Discussion of Accessible Line Deployment

Peter Straus introduced his position as the Manager of Muni Service Planning and discussed the issue of inaccessible “Flyer” coaches being used on the 6 Parnassus line. The coaches are run “All day long - from early in the morning to late in the evening.” While Muni has enough accessible ETI coaches to take the place of the Flyers, the ETIs are subject to frequent mechanical problems.

It does not appear that Muni will be able to get the inaccessible Flyer vehicles completely out of service for some time (“After calendar year 2006 and beyond”). Muni is creating a strategy that allows us to make the 6 line accessible as much as we can. As the number 7 line and the number 41 line only run during peak hours, Muni is exploring switching the Flyers to those routes and using ETIs to make the 6 line accessible.

With this plan “All Muni lines” would be accessible outside of rush hour. Ed Evans asked Mr. Straus why Muni was unable to keep it’s promise of “Making all lines accessible by January 2006.” Mr. Straus reported that Muni did have enough buses; however the mechanical problems experienced on the ETIs have made their deployment prohibitive.

Mr. Strauss asked if MAAC would support this proposal to make line 6 accessible. He asked MAAC for the flexibility to make the line 7 and 41 inaccessible; however he anticipated that it would be possible to limit the use of the Flyers to the number 41 line.

After discussion and additional comments by MAAC members, a motion was made to support the project. The motion was seconded and carried. MAAC thanked Mr. Straus for his presentation and work on the issue – to which Mr. Straus replied: “Thank me when the buses are out there.”

MAAC Elections for 2006 Officers

Jeanne Lynch reported that the nominating committee recommended the following:

MAAC Chair – Ed Evans
MAAC Vice-Chair – Les Clark
MACC Secretary – Ed Harley

There were no other nominations for the MAAC committee. A motion was made to accept the recommendations as made by the nominating committee. The motion was seconded and carried by the committee.

Discuss Amendment to MAAC bylaws

Les Clark, reported that the MAAC membership should be extended from 16 to 17 members. A motion was made to accept the amendment to the bylaws. The motion was seconded and was carried by the committee.

Rider Safety Concerns Regarding Wheelchair Lifts

Bruce Oka discussed the problem that members of the public are not aware of the dangers of being hit by the wheelchair lift platform. He feels that something needs to be done, as he does not want to see anyone get hurt.

Mr. Oka asked for comments and ideas from MAAC concerning this issue.

Annette Williams indicated that we could look at language communication issues.

Barbara George advocated against asking the Muni operator to physically block the riders who attempt to board while the lift is in use. She suggested that a red strap be used to cross the threshold and prevent people from boarding when the lift is in use.

Ed Evans reported that he had frequently experienced this issue on the 14 Mission and the 40 Stockton. He’s “Had people get on the bus and jump right over me.” To which Mr. Oka replied: “That’s hard to do.”

Jeanne Lynch reported that operators have enough to do besides policing other riders when people with disabilities are boarding.

Public Comments:

No public comments

Update on services for Deaf-Blind passengers

Jamie Osborne presented the progress of the Deaf-Blind working group. He described the rider assistance card template and the procedures that are being developed to assist riders who are Deaf and Blind.

He asked for comments and ideas from MAAC concerning this issue.

Barbara George – “I know that the operators are supposed to be helpful. But with their schedule and everything, this service adds more pressure on them. If you are going to have the card, I think that it should be printed in bold, capitalized letters that are easy to read.

I spoke with an operator who had a rider who was deaf and blind and used this type of card. When the operator took the card and put it in their transfer holder at the stop (as the card requests), the rider did not move. The operator had a difficult time getting the attention of the individual. The operator had to get up and go back to the person and tell them that they were at their stop.

ADA rules and regulations are very hard - That is the priority complaint in Muni.”

Muni is working with local Orientation and Mobility specialists and the Rose Resnick Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired to help train deaf-blind users on using the rider assistance cards.

Jose Alfaro reported that he felt this type of card would be extremely helpful for riders who were blind.

Mr. Osborne indicated that he would have a finalized version of the rider assistance card by the next MAAC meeting.

ADA Complaints:

MUNI Accessible Services staff presented January and February ADA complaint data to the MAAC committee. Ed Evans requested that the ADA data be distributed to all MAAC members and the information specific to complaints involving service animals be tabulated.

Items for Next Agenda:

1. Operator training suggestions - Maurice Wilson

Announcements:

Jeanne Lynch left documents for the committee regarding the following topics:

Cell phones for Emergency use provided by the Salvation Army
Pedestrian Safety Legislation that Fiona Ma is trying to push through
An upcoming demonstration

Adjournment:

At 3:00PM, the meeting adjourned to the next regularly scheduled meeting of Thursday, April 20, 2006, at 1:00PM. The next MAAC meeting will be held on the third floor in the Mission Conference Room # 3075.

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