Federal Bill Proposes $10 Billion for Transit Accessibility
The program would fund improvements such as elevators, ramps, and accessible ticketing equipment to bring the nation s transit stations up to ADA standards. June 1, 2021, 6am PDT | Diana Ionescu | According to data from the FTA, nearly 20% of the nation’s transit stations were not ADA accessible in 2019, the most recent year data was available. In New York City, 200,000 disabled New Yorkers lived in neighborhoods without an accessible station. The bill would create a $10 billion grant program to help local and regional agencies address accessibility issues. Smaller systems may struggle to gather the funding it takes to retrofit stations built before the ADA was passed. Under the ADA, transportation facilities built after January 25, 1992, must be readily accessible and useable by people with disabilities. If an agency alters a facility built before that date, those altered portions must also be readily access