What’s in a B&A?

The place where a passenger alights (gets off) a bus has long been a semantic haze. Is it the bus stop? A landing pad? Is a shelter pad the same thing? Well, in case you have not come across this addition to the 2006 Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) yet, we now have a common name for it: the boarding and alighting area, or B&A. The stop itself is where a bus (or...

The Old Stick in the Mud

Should rural road segments not get service just because there are no sidewalks? ADA does not prevent it. If there is one unrelenting question that comes up when a transit agency is discussing the Americans with Disabilities Act and transit stops it is “Can we put up a bus stop sign in the grass/dirt/sand where there is no sidewalk without violating ADA?”  TPM has dealt with this at length elsewhere,...

All Together Now

“Always do more than is required of you.”  General George S. Patton Time was, some folks did not get out as much as they may have liked.  Sidewalks were obstacle courses, parking lots deserts, and staircases mountains.  Getting around could be very difficult for people with disabilities.  They got some relief with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), which required bathroom stalls...