Urban bus transportation

[Slyder]

Can anyone tell me why the lifts of most buses can handle only a 30" wide chair? This is not far from the minimum width for an adult manual chair. ADA wants 36" doors in most cases. My chair is 30", but the handrims make it wider and trips the safety catch on bus lifts. If someone rides with me and lifts the rear wheels while the lift is in motion, I can use a bus, but some bus drivers refuse to allow this practice. I live in Kansas City, but found the same thing on a trip to Chicago as well.

I find this situation bizarre. Glad I can drive, but parking can be hell in urban areas so public transportation makes sense sometimes. The cheapest wheelchair cab ride in KC is $45.

I will be complaining to the Kansas City Area Transit Authority.

And BTW, can anyone tell me why medical facilities, including new construction, hospitals, medical offices, clinics, and even wheelchair repair shops that have no wheelchair parking, are the least accessible places I go from parking issues to restrooms?

[TankLV]

1. The ADA calls for 32" CLEARANCE minimum - not 36".

36" wide doors are used BECAUSE THEY ARE THE MOST COMMON.

34" wide doors can be used to comply with the requirements - because they take into account the door thickness as well (usually 1 3/4").

Best to have the CORRECT answers before spouting off.

[happyslug]

2. The ADA has NO SET STANDARDS, it is strictly Regulations that set 32 inch

And even that MAY not meet the ADA requirements. The ADA set wide guidelines as to what is expected to accommodate the handicap but set no specific requirements. The reason for this was that to set such requirements AS A STATUE could be construed to that if you meet those requirements and it did no good for the handicap then it would legal (i.e. this result was what the authors of the ADA did NOT want).

Now the EEOC have issued regulations on various topics (and I believe the Department of Transportation has done so as to Transportation issues). These regulation, I believe set the 32 inch wide width (and even here such regulations are GUIDELINES not requirements (i.e. you can still sue them even if they meet the Regulations on the Ground it is NOT a reasonable Accommodations to your handicap).

The only restriction on the ADA is what is "Reasonable" and that is a Jury Finding of facts based on the Evidence presented to them at Trial.

Now for practical purpose the Guidelines will be upheld by a Jury if Reasonable and it covers Most Wheelchairs (Through it you can show most Wheelchairs DO NOT MEET THESE REQUIREMENTS YOU MAY BE ABLE TO OVERTHROW THE REGULATION).

My point here is while the Regulations may set it at 32 inch, if you can show that such a Regulations does NOT reflect Reality AND it is NOT unreasonable to set up a different setup then it is still a violation of the ADA (Please note you also have to have someone who is directly hurt by the buses doors NOT being wide enough, theoretical problems are NOT grounds to challenge the Regulations or how someone is fulfilling its requirements under the ADA, you must have a real person HARMED by the Failure to follow the ADA).

[Slyder]

3. Back to the drawing board

Thanks for the information. I was misremembering ADA. I appreciate the comeuppance. I obviously need to go back and re-read the CFR. Still 30" seems narrow for anything related to an adult wheelchair.

BTW, the city where the wheelchair repair shop, mentioned in my original posting, is located is investigating the lack of wheelchair parking. The shop's landlord had merely declared a regular sized parking space as for handicapped, over the tenant's objections. I went to the shop and had to park legally, but in a questionable spot. A person backing out hit my unoccupied car. His insurance company had to pay to fix my car. His insurance company informed the city of the situation. How this got past the building inspectors originally is beyond me.

[Ayesha]

4. 30 inches?

I'm not the biggest person but I use a standard size power chair and it's only 26" wide. It can accomodate a seat width of up to 20". Most of my friends' manual chairs are narrower than mine. I don't think you'd fit on the ramp to my mini-van either, and that's a set-up that a lot of PWDs use for transportation. You must be really limited in where you can go. While I certainly agree that the transit should fix this, perhaps you should look into another chair as in my experience yours is much wider than average.