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TESTIMONY OF
DAVID WENZEL, MEMBER
NATIONAL COUNCIL ON DISABILITY
before the U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and
House Committee on Education and the Workforce
"Coordination of Human Services Transportation"
Washington, DC
May 1, 2003
Good morning, Chairman Young, Chairman Boehner, and distinguished members of the Committees. Thank you for inviting me to participate in this hearing on the coordination of human services transportation. My name is David Wenzel. I live in Scranton, Pennsylvania where I teach at the University of Scranton. I am a retired veteran of the United States Army and am a former mayor of Scranton. I have been a person with a disability since 1971, when a land mine accident in Viet Nam resulted in the loss of my legs, my left hand, and the vision in my left eye. I was appointed by the President to serve on the National Council on Disability. It is on the Council's behalf that I offer these comments today.
The National Council on Disability (NCD) is an independent federal agency charged with making recommendations to the President, Congress and Federal agencies on equal opportunity for all individuals with disabilities. We welcome the opportunity to share our recommendations with you this morning that we hope will assist you as you work to reauthorize the Transportation Equity Act (TEA-21).
The reauthorization of the Transportation Equity Act presents a unique opportunity to improve access to transportation for the fifty-six million individuals with disabilities and their families. The Transportation Equity Act contains several provisions that improve mobility for people with disabilities:
- TEA-21 authorizes Project Action, which for twelve years has provided valuable technical assistance to transportation providers and people with disabilities that has contributed to making transportation one of the most accessible sectors of our society;
- As a result of TEA-21, states can use federal surface transportation funds for the modification of public sidewalks to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Without accessible sidewalks, many people with disabilities are stranded, still on the outside looking in, unable to take advantage of the investments we have made in the accessibility of our transportation system;
- The most recent reauthorization of TEA-21 added a requirement that transportation plans and projects provide due consideration for safety and contiguous routes for . pedestrians, including the installation, where appropriate, and maintenance of audible traffic signals and audible signs at street crossings. As a result, states, cities, and counties are beginning to take advantage of assistance from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration and the U.S. Access Board on how to make their pedestrian environments accessible for people who are blind, visually impaired, or deaf/blind;
- Grants to assist over-the-road bus operators in complying with the ADA have contributed to more accessible intercity bus transportation for people with disabilities; and
- Transit enhancement funds include a set-aside of funds for certain transit improvements, including enhanced access for persons with disabilities to mass transportation.
NCD would like to commend Congress for these past efforts to enhance transportation options for people with disabilities.
Although there has been significant progress in the accessibility of public transportation systems since the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the supporting provisions of the Transportation Equity Act, a substantial portion of the disability population continues to be barred from participating in many aspects of community life as a result of inadequate accessible transportation. Moreover, users of public transportation often fall victim to strict eligibility criteria and funding stream restrictions that create inconsistencies between the realities of daily life and the ability of public transportation providers to meet the needs of its passengers. This often causes those who rely on public transportation to be forced to use a taxicab for
many destinations - - an option that is often neither accessible nor affordable.
Access to transportation is critical for Americans with disabilities to participate fully in basic activities such as education, employment, worship, job training, commerce, recreation, and other activities of community life that most people take for granted. According to a population-based survey conducted in 2000 by the Harris Poll and funded by the National Organization on Disability, approximately 30 percent of Americans with disabilities have a problem with inadequate transportation, compared to approximately 10 percent of the general population. Moreover, according to a 1994-95 survey by the National Center for Health Statistics, almost 5.5 million Americans report that they never drive because of an "impairment or health problem." Thus, Americans with disabilities are key stakeholders for transportation providers around the country. For America to achieve the goals of the ADA -- equality of opportunity, full participation, economic self-sufficiency, and independent living -- America must expand its investment in a comprehensive, accessible, and affordable transportation infrastructure.
To continue the progress experienced to date in the growth and accessibility of the nation's transportation system, to address the problems and barriers remaining for people with disabilities in access to transportation, and to meet the transportation challenges of the future, NCD offers the following recommendations:
1. Support the development of innovative transportation initiatives to facilitate partnerships between transportation providers, people with disabilities, and human service providers that promote access to alternate methods of transportation.
The Bush Administration proposed the New Freedom Initiative (NFI) in March 2001, and included $145 million for innovative transportation solutions for people with disabilities in its budget for FY 2002 and FY 2003. This funding did not survive the appropriations process. NCD asks that Congress authorize $145 million to fund programs to promote integrated accessible (non-ADA) transportation and to remove transportation barriers to integrate people with disabilities into the workforce and community. To achieve the broadest use of this funding, we ask that NFI transportation projects be coordinated with existing transportation services.
Increased funding is essential to maintain and improve traditional transit and paratransit services to meet the transportation needs of people with disabilities. Currently, less than one-third of one percent of the entire federal budget goes to transit programs. The Community Transportation Association of America estimates it will take at least several billion additional dollars before the transit program will be able to offer a seamless national network of public and community transportation. According to a new national poll conducted by Wirthlin Worldwide, 81 percent of Americans believe that increased investment in public transportation strengthens the economy, creates jobs, reduces traffic congestion and air pollution, and saves energy. The survey found that almost three-quarters (72 percent) support the use of public funds for the expansion and improvement of public transportation. Interestingly, the findings cut across all geographic locations: urban, suburban, rural and small town areas.
Public transportation is an even higher priority for people with disabilities. Many people with disabilities make major life decisions according to the availability of public transportation. Housing, employment, recreation, shopping, and learning options are all limited to the geographic areas where public transportation exists. Currently, this restricts their opportunities to a fraction of what they should be. People with disabilities look forward to the day when our country has a comprehensive, seamless, safe, and accessible transportation system.
3. Set aside 5 percent of Surface Transportation Program (STP) funds and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds for making the public rights-of-way accessible to people with disabilities.
The use of accessible public transportation by many people with disabilities is strictly limited by lack of an accessible pedestrian route to the transit stop. Despite the availability of STP and CMAQ funds for pedestrian walkways and transportation enhancements, many states expend little funding to improve sidewalks, crosswalks, signals and curbs for people with disabilities. When accessibility projects must compete with traditional highway projects during the planning process, accessibility is too often an after-thought - after all funds are allocated. People with disabilities comprise one-fifth of the American population. Yet, they are rarely considered in the transportation planning process. A 5 percent set aside for designing and constructing transportation projects to accommodate people with disabilities would introduce some equity for people with disabilities into the transportation planning process. An initial investment to improve the pedestrian environment is essential, and increases not only accessibility but also safety for all users and will increase mobility options for people with disabilities - making it possible for some to use alternatives less costly than paratransit services.
The Federal Highway Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation funded a national project to assist states, cities, and counties in making their facilities accessible to people with disabilities. See, "Designing Sidewalks and Trails for Access: Review of Existing Guidelines and Practices (July 1999). The U.S. Access Board published "Accessible Rights-of-Way: A Design Guide" (Nov. 1999) www.access-board.gov/publications/prow%20guide/prowguide.htm. Most recently, the U.S. Access Board convened a national advisory committee of stakeholders, including state and local civil engineers, traffic engineers, highway officials, and people with disabilities, to develop detailed recommendations for accessibility standards for public rights-of-way. See, the Public Rights-of-Way Access Advisory Committee Final Report, "Building A True Community" (Jan. 2001) www.access-board.gov/prowac/commrept/index.htm. Additionally, the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices now contains specifications for the installation of accessible pedestrian signals. Much of this information now available was achieved through federally funded research. Federal agencies, such as the Federal Highway Administration and the Access Board, have invested in turning the information into technical assistance and guidance. It is time to reap the benefits of the federal investment in pedestrian access and fund implementation so that people with disabilities can enjoy full access to the public rights-of-way.
4. Authorize significant funding increases for rural and small urban transportation services to address a serious lack of transportation options for people with disabilities in rural areas.
Many people with disabilities live in rural areas where little if any public transportation service is available. In fact, according to The Research and Training Center on Rural Rehabilitation Services, part of the University Affiliated Rural Institute on Disabilities at the University of
Montana, the nation's non-metropolitan areas are home to a higher percentage of people with disabilities-including people with severe disabilities-than more densely populated areas.
- One-fifth of the U.S. population (about 53.3 million people) lives in the nation's 2,308 non-metropolitan counties-spread out over 75 percent of U.S. land area.
- Approximately 12.5 million of these rural Americans have disabilities, and six million have severe disabilities.
- People with disabilities make up 23 percent of the non-metropolitan population, compared to 18 percent in metropolitan areas.
- Approximately 11 percent of the non-metropolitan population reports a severe disability, slightly higher than the 9 percent reported for metropolitan areas.
SOURCE: Demography of Disability and Rehabilitation in Rural America, RTC: Rural Institute on Disability, University of Montana.
Not surprisingly, people with disabilities in rural areas participate less in all aspects of community life. Yet, some communities have demonstrated that, with appropriate funding, rural transportation services can be operated successfully. The Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living www.april-rural.org/docs/mentoring.html has compiled many helpful resources on successful rural transportation programs serving people with disabilities. NCD requests that Congress authorize significant increases in funding for rural transportation so that people with disabilities can have the freedom to live and work independently in rural areas.
The U.S. Department of Transportation, in conjunction with other relevant federal agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Labor, the Department of Education, and the Social Security Administration, should develop a mechanism and a process to facilitate coordination of transportation resources at the federal, state and local levels. Many human services agencies buy vans to transport clients, including those with disabilities, to and from services. These agencies rarely coordinate with transportation entities that provide related transportation services, such as paratransit. Human services vans can sit idly for extended periods of time, while people with disabilities in the same community have difficulty accessing public transportation. In addition, Section 9 and Section 18 transportation providers--generally urban and rural providers--are prohibited from picking up residents outside their designated areas, even though they may drive directly through adjacent areas while transporting someone. Coordination efforts should seek to enhance transportation services such as these in current transportation systems by promoting initiatives such as agreements between urban and rural providers to pick up passengers in each other's areas when logical to do so. In addition, there are many people residing in "gray areas," or areas served by neither urban nor rural transit. These are most often communities in urbanized areas that have not signed on with the regional transit system. However, the regional transportation provider's funding allocation includes the population residing in the unserved areas. Coordination should ensure that these people are served by some public transit system. The coordination of transportation services, while an important goal for purposes of maximizing limited resources to provide an essential public service that benefits all tax-payers, should not be used to promote cost-efficiencies at the expense of much-needed transportation services. NCD supports coordination that results in more comprehensive, reliable, on-time, life-enhancing public transportation services for people with disabilities, and we believe there are coordination measures that can be implemented to this end. However, NCD opposes any coordination efforts that create additional barriers to mobility options for people with disabilities, or which would result in reducing opportunities for integrated, inclusive, and independent living for people with disabilities.
In closing, I would like to suggest to the Committee members that improving transportation services for people with disabilities makes our environment better for everyone, and we need to plan now for the large numbers of individuals who are expected to need public transportation services in the future. In January 2011, 10,000 baby boomers will cross the threshold of retirement; they will become 65 years old. And every year after that, 10,000 baby boomers will cross that threshold every day, until, in the year 2020, there will be 80 million people over retirement age in the United States. The reality is that the longer we live, the more likely we are to experience a disability. As a function of the natural process of aging, people lose sensation, they have hearing loss, vision loss, they have difficulty with mobility as a result of arthritis and many other conditions. They are likely to experience memory loss and other kinds of cognitive impairment simply as a result of the natural effect of aging. If you add to that the numbers of us who will be injured through acts of violence, the number of people who at birth and younger ages have disabilities resulting from developmental issues, and the number of people who are injured and disabled as a result of accidents, a well-planned, comprehensive, seamless, safe and accessible transportation infrastructure is no longer merely beneficial, it is essential to the survival of our current way of life.
Thank you. |
