Don't Miss the Bus Stop
Makeover creates accessible bus stop
By Lee Nichols, Fri., Jan. 7, 2011
At the beginning of 2010, the Chronicle reported that about two-thirds of Capital Metro’s approximately 3,000 bus stops were not fully accessible to people with mobility impairments (see “Can’t Get There From Here,” Jan. 22, 2010). Progress is being made, albeit slowly: Stops like this one on Airport Boulevard (a street that is often the subject of complaints from the wheelchair-bound and others who can’t negotiate uneven surfaces) are finally getting concrete pads and ramps to remove such obstacles. Cap Metro reports that it upgraded 204 stops in fiscal year 2010, and about 35 to 40 thus far in FY 2011. “We plan to work aggressively on this effort as the year progresses,” says spokesman Adam Shaivitz. Activists complained bitterly during the FY 2010 budget process when promises to spend $3 million per year on upgrades got cut in half; they blamed spending on the new rail line for the cuts. Thanks to some grant money, the FY 2011 budget will include $2.6 million for accessibility improvements, but long-range plans call for that to drop back down to $1.4 million a year in future budgets.
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