Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Guidelines for Transportation Vehicles

David M. Capozzi
August 20, 2012

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 161 (Monday, August 20, 2012)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 50068-50069]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-20404]


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ARCHITECTURAL AND TRANSPORTATION BARRIERS COMPLIANCE BOARD

36 CFR Part 1192

[Docket No. ATBCB 2010-0004]
RIN 3014-AA38


Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Guidelines 
for Transportation Vehicles

AGENCY: Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board.

ACTION: Notice of public information meeting and reopening of comment 
period.

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SUMMARY: The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board 
(Access Board) is holding a public information meeting in Washington, 
DC on September 19, 2012 on the pending rulemaking to revise and update 
its accessibility guidelines for buses, over-the-road buses, and vans. 
The purpose of the meeting is to discuss issues related to the design 
and slope of bus ramps and the space needed at the top of ramps by 
individuals who use wheeled mobility devices to access the fare 
collection device and to turn into the main aisle. The Access Board is 
also reopening the comment period on the rulemaking.

DATES: The public information meeting in Washington, DC will be held 
from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on September 19, 2012. Persons planning to 
attend the meeting should contact Scott Windley at (202) 272-0025 
(voice), (202) 272-0028 (TTY), or board.gov">windley@access-board.gov. More 
information and any updates to the meeting will be posted on the Access 
Board's Web site at http://www.access-board.gov/transit/. The reopened 
comment period on the rulemaking will extend from August 20, 2012 
through October 31, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal (preferred): http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. 
Regulations.gov ID for this docket is ATBCB-2010-0004.
     Email: board.gov">docket@access-board.gov. Include docket number 
ATBCB 2010-0004 in the subject line of the message.
     Fax: 202-272-0081.
     Mail or Hand Delivery/Courier: Office of Technical and 
Information Services, Access Board, 1331 F Street NW., Suite 1000, 
Washington, DC 20004-1111.
    All comments will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. All 
comments previously received are also available at this site.
    The public information meeting location is Access Board Conference 
Room, 1331 F Street NW., Suite 800, Washington, DC 20004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott Windley, Office of Technical and 
Information Services, Architectural and Transportation Barriers 
Compliance Board, 1331 F Street NW., Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20004-
1111. Telephone (202) 272-0025 (voice) or (202) 272-0028 (TTY). Email 
address board.gov">windley@access-board.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    On July 26, 2010, the Architectural and Transportation Barriers 
Compliance Board (Access Board) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking 
(NPRM) to revise and update its accessibility guidelines for buses, 
over-the-road buses, and vans. See 75 FR 43748, July 26, 2010. The NPRM 
revised both the substance and structure of the guidelines. In addition 
to a new organization and format, the NPRM included revisions to 
technical requirements for ramp slopes, onboard circulation routes, 
wheelchair spaces, and securement systems. The NPRM also included a new 
requirement for automated stop and route announcements in systems with 
100 or more buses and requirements specific to bus rapid transit 
systems. The comment period on the NPRM ended on November 23, 2010.
    The NPRM proposed that bus ramps have slopes not steeper than 1:6 
(17 percent) when deployed to the boarding and alighting areas without 
station platforms and to the roadway. See T303.8.1 in the NPRM. Some 
bus and ramp manufacturers currently provide ramps that meet this 
proposed provision. To minimize the ramp extension beyond the doorway, 
some manufacturers provide a fixed ramp slope inside the bus creating 
the potential for a grade break, or change in ramp slope, within a 
single ramp run. These designs also can reduce the level floor space at 
the top of the ramp. After the comment period on the NPRM ended, the 
Access Board received correspondence from Lane Transit District, Santa 
Clara Valley Transportation Authority, and Douglas Cross Transportation 
Consulting that raises issues regarding the usability of these ramps. 
The Access Board staff met with representatives from Lane Transit 
District and Douglas Cross Transportation Consulting to discuss these 
issues. The correspondence and a report on the meeting have been placed 
in the docket at http://www.regulations.gov.
    The Access Board will hold a public information meeting in 
Washington, DC from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on September 19, 2012 to 
discuss issues related to the design and slope of bus ramps and the 
space at the top of ramps needed by individuals who use wheeled 
mobility devices to access fare collection devices and to turn into 
main aisles. The Access Board plans to hold an additional public 
information meeting on the same issues at the annual meeting of the 
American Public Transportation Association (APTA) in Seattle, 
Washington during the first week of October 2012. A notice will be 
published in the Federal Register announcing the specific date and 
location of the public information meeting at the APTA annual meeting. 
The Access Board is interested in receiving information on the 
following questions at the public information meetings:
    1. Can a bus ramp with a slope of 1:6 be provided without a grade 
break and without compromising the available level space within the bus 
at the top of the ramp? How might bus kneeling affect these designs?
    2. If the ramp slope were required to be uniform for the length of 
the ramp with no grade breaks, how would such a requirement affect bus 
and ramp designs, manufacturers, transit operators, and transit users, 
including those with disabilities?
    3. How much level space, measured when the bus is sitting on a 
level surface, can be provided beyond the top of the ramp? How can this 
space be configured to permit individuals who use wheeled mobility 
devices to access fare collection devices and to turn into

[[Page 50069]]

the main aisle? How does the slope of the ramp, the location of the 
fare collection device, and the configuration of the handrail affect 
the availability of this space?
    4. If level space were required at the top of the ramp to permit 
access to fare collection devices and to facilitate turning into main 
aisles, how would such a requirement affect bus designs, manufacturers, 
transit operators, and transit users, including those with 
disabilities?
    Bus and ramp manufacturers, transit operators, researchers, 
disability organizations, and interested individuals are invited to 
participate in the public information meetings. Transcripts of the 
meetings will be placed in the docket and will be available on the 
Access Board's Web site at http://www.access-board.gov/transit/.
    The information meetings will be accessible to persons with 
disabilities. An assistive listening system, computer assisted real-
time transcription (CART), and sign language interpreters will be 
provided. Persons attending the information meetings are requested to 
refrain from using perfume, cologne, and other fragrances for the 
comfort of other participants (see www.access-board.gov/about/policies/fragrance.htm for more information).
    The Access Board is reopening the comment period to allow 
interested persons to respond to the recent correspondence from Lane 
Transit District, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, and 
Douglas Cross Transportation Consulting and information presented at 
the public information meetings, or to submit other comments on the 
rulemaking.

David M. Capozzi,
Executive Director.
[FR Doc. 2012-20404 Filed 8-17-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8150-01-P