For some people with disabilities who rely on Durango Transit buses and trolleys, just getting to a stop can be a challenge.
Vincent LaDue, who rides public transit five days a week, must navigate his wheelchair on uneven sidewalks, steep driveways and past some fire hydrants along north Main Avenue.
“There are some problems the city should try to fix,” he said.
An audit funded by the city recently confirmed LaDue’s experience, finding half of the stops with benches or furniture were not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The audit looked at both the stops and the two-tenths of a mile a rider would travel to get to it.
Curbs on the way to a Transit stop are a major concern for accessibility advocates, including Jason Ragsdell, the independent living program manager for the Southwest Center for Independence.
“I don’t think people realize what kind of barrier a curb is. ... It’s either turn around, go back or just not go at all,” he said.
The Durango Transit stops for north and south City Market are his major concern because going to the grocery store is a necessity.
“You couldn’t go from Taco Bell to north City Market without getting out into the highway,” he said.
To address the problem, the city is working on a plan to make all the Transit stops in the city accessible, and the staff plans to have a draft ready in May, said Amber Blake, the city’s transportation and sustainability director. The plan will have cost estimates for construction.
By law, the city must have a plan to make all public buildings and sidewalks compliant with the ADA; a plan for the Transit stops is the first phase,
Before finalizing it, the city will hold forums at the La Plata County Senior Center and the Southwest Center for Independence to talk about accessibility problems at Transit stops and other areas. No date for meetings has yet been set.
Comments from residents help the city prioritize projects for Transit stop construction. Ideas not related to mass transit will be used in the update to the city’s Multimodal Master Plan.
The city will likely set aside some money to improve accessibility each year. But north Main Avenue could be tough because utilities must be relocated and some buildings come to the edge of the right of way.
“There’s definitely some gigantic obstacles we will need to overcome,” Blake said.
The sidewalks along that corridor are part of the Colorado Department of Transportation right of way. The state agency has plans to improve the intersections at 22nd and 32nd streets, and it has been working with the city on other improvement plans.
In addition to working with the city on mass transit, advocates with the Southwest Center for Independence and the city are seeking incentives to get businesses to make changes, Ragsdell said.
As part of the Accessibility Community Team, Ragsdell has urged businesses to take advantage of the city’s matching grant program to make improvements.
Last summer, 10 business took advantage of the program, but grant money remains available.
“We made some good progress, but we still have an issue selling the idea to the businesses,” he said.
This year, the city set aside $25,000 for accessibility-construction projects, and Ragsdell is hopeful more businesses will make changes – some as simple as changing a doorknob.
These changes are going to be ever more important as the baby boomer generation begins to age and needs more accessible shops, restaurants and bathrooms.
“There is going to be a whole lot of people with disabilities that need accessibility that have money to spend,” he said.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
