Meeting_Body
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
JUNE 16, 2016
Preamble
Motion by:
Directors Kuehl, Knabe, Solis and Antonovich
June 16, 2016
Countywide Services for Older Adults and People with Disabilities
Metro has taken a leading role in expanding accessibility in our public transit system and has often undertaken initiatives that go beyond simply meeting the standards required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Metro Board adopted the 2016-2019 Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan for Los Angeles County (The Coordinated Plan) in order to identify and address the needs of these populations.
The Coordinated Plan includes five critical goals: 1) sustain, fund and continue to expand the rich array of public, human services and private transportation service available in Los Angeles County, 2) improve coordination between public transportation and human services to address identified mobility gaps, 3) provide necessary support services to enable access to public and human service transportation services by older adults and persons with disabilities, 4) promote, improve and expand multi-cultural information portals and mobility management tools to increase mobility options, and 5) enhance customer feedback and accountable performance monitoring systems to ensure a high quality of service.
In 2010, one out of every nine Angelenos was more than 65 years old. By 2030, this ratio is anticipated to grow to be one in five. This demographic change will be accompanied by rapid growth in the number of people with disabilities who now total more than one million individuals within LA County.
In order to serve this rapidly expanding population and to implement the Coordinated Plan, Metro must identify opportunities to enhance the mobility of older adults and people with disabilities with respect to the development and operations of both the current and future system. Metro’s investments in future construction projects must not only reflect the best accessibility practices to meet federal, state, and local standards but must also encompass reliable and coordinated services through: 1) accessible services and other connecting systems that span both local and countywide areas, 2) enhancement of accessibility to, from and on fixed route transit, 3) improvement of safety and security measures and, 4) provision of necessary community education about transportation options.
The Office of Civil Rights currently oversees Metro’s efforts to better serve people with disabilities and the Customer Relations Department provides outreach and travel training to older adults. While much progress has been made, the Office of Civil Rights should have an expanded mandate, and potentially more resources, to address the growing demands of our aging and disabled populations. This office should expand its scope in a number of ways including issuing an annual report that will enable the Board to evaluate the integration of accessibility and related efforts into Metro’s operations and capital program. While the office has the primary responsibility for reporting the related issues and providing accountability, these efforts must be undertaken agency-wide in order to maximize the opportunities to meet the needs of older adults and the disabled.
Title
MOTION by Kuehl, Knabe, Solis and Antonovich that the Board direct the Chief Executive Officer to work with Access Services to convene an annual county-wide forum to address improvements in coordination and integration of services to older adults and the disabled. The forum shall include consultant specialists in gerontology and mental health as well as local governmental and non-governmental providers of transportation and social services to older adults and the disabled. Metro shall encourage municipal operators and local jurisdictions to participate in the annual forum. Each forum should occur no later than 90 days after the release of the annual report.
FURTHER MOVE that the Board direct the Chief Executive Officer to report back to the Metro Board in October 2016 with an action plan to better address the transportation needs of older adults and people with disabilities. The plan shall include the following elements:
A. An overview of the agency-wide efforts to serve older adults and people with disabilities with a specific focus on those activities that go beyond meeting ADA requirements and with an objective to ensure coordination in planning and implementing necessary initiatives.
B. Recommended metrics to measure challenges and successes.
C. A roadmap and timeline to enhance community partnerships and the participation of non-profits and other stakeholders to ensure full public participation.
D. An evaluation of the feasibility of enhancing Access Services to expand the area of services beyond the ADA minimum, including but not limited to, changing next day service to same day service, changing the requirement that clients must live within ¾ mile from a public transit line to 1 ½ mile.
E. An analysis of Electric Personal Assistive Mobility Devices (EPAMD) and other power-driven devices as defined by the California Vehicle Code and the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section. Analysis shall include, but not be limited to:
1. Existing Metro policies and/or the need to create a specific policy;
2. Advancements in technology and ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions;
3. Opportunity for expanding our countywide, ride-share program beyond bike-share and car-share to include EPAMD’s and similar devices.
4. Assessment of the infrastructure necessary to accommodate EPAMD’s such as Class-I and Class-IV bike paths, enhanced sidewalks, etc.
5. Legislative and policy challenges and prospects for promoting a mode-shift toward these and similar devices especially in conjunction with transit at the federal, state and local levels.
ADDITIONALLY MOVE that the Board direct the Chief Executive Officer to prepare an annual accessibility report, which will include, at a minimum, the following elements:
A. All planned and implemented programs and projects, including timelines, in the Coordinated Plan including those utilizing 5310 federal funds as well as additional initiatives that are supported through other federal, state and local resources.
B. Assessment of first mile/last mile accessibility, connectivity, and opportunities to, from and at transit stations and bus stops. This assessment should include, as well, an analysis of relevant policies and programs, such as those outlined in the Active Transportation Strategic Plan, and the ways that they are enhancing accessibility for older adults and people with disabilities.
C. Analysis of the utilization of local return funds in order to determine the allocation towards accessibility and services that are specifically targeted for older adults and people with disabilities.
D. Steps taken to improve outreach and education of older adults and people with disabilities so that they are more informed about available services and how to best utilize them.
E. Identification of other metrics to evaluate how Metro and partnering agencies (governmental and non-governmental) are serving older adults and people with disabilities.
F. Efforts made to expand the training of Metro staff to increase responsiveness to the needs of older adults and people with disabilities.
G. Summary of the results of the annual forum and any resulting actions.