Please yield these seats
To elderly or disabled
When requested”
Pat Pryatel
Laketran
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This is not solely a behavior issue, but a legal issue as well. Therefore, while being nice is an admirable goal, the focus should be on the legal element in an effort to obtain the correct behavior. On SFMTA buses the signs cite the legal code and inform passengers that they must give up the seats to seniors and disabled. By comparison, there is no legal requirement to exit via the back door on a bus, so the signs used by SFMTA to encourage that behavior do not mention any legal code and are present to “encourage” good behavior.
Paul Bignardi
SFMTA
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LA Metro is in the process of changing its signage and will be going with something that reads reserved for wheelchairs, disabled, and seniors. The exact wording is still being discussed. But the major change is “reserved” instead of “priority”. If that does not work, then we will make it stronger.
[Chip’s
follow-up response to last week’s responses] It appears, at least from the
other two comments, that this is a problem throughout the U.S. I have talked to
at least four transit properties in California and they say it is a major
problem for them as well. Most of them have gone to a demand to vacate seats,
rather then a please or priority seating signage. San Francisco Muni has the
best sign that I have seen. It requires people to move, period. There is no
request, just you must move.
Chip Hazen
ADA Compliance Administrator
Civil Rights Programs Compliance
LA Metro
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Tulsa
Transit also uses the word please in our signage. We do not seem to have a
problem with this issue.
Liann Alfaro
Planning Manager
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The signs on Orange County's buses state:
Federal Law 49 CFR 37.167 Requires
These seats must be vacated
for Seniors and Disabled Persons
Frank Scholl
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Glenn Hoge
Maryland MTA
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The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra, and Pace worked together to develop priority seating signage that would be uniform on all three transit systems in the six-county RTA service area. Each of the operators (CTA, Metra, and Pace) adopted the uniform signage and most of the signs have now been installed.
We developed a "policy sign" and a set of "marker signs." The policy sign states: "Priority Seating is for customers with disabilities and seniors. Please move when requested." The words "Priority Seating" are white lettering on a red bar, the rest of the sentence is blue on withe, and the last sentence is red on white. All four agency logos are on the bottom. We used an ISA and a stick figure with a cane as pictograms. The sign is 6 x 15 and each vehicle has one or more of these signs near the PS area.
The "marker" signs are white with a blue background and are used to designate the specific seats or wheelchair areas and come in four shapes/sizes, designed to meet various needs of the railcars or buses we have in the fleets. They range in size from 12 x 5 vertical, 7 x 9 horizontal, and 5 x 18 horizontal. Most have both an ISA and the stickman/cane pictogram; the one specifically designating a wheelchair area only has the ISA with an arrow pointing down.
We used lettering no smaller than 5/8" with the PS words no less than 7/8".
We plan to match the audio message and later to develop some PSAs, videos etc. to help educate passengers that they should move when requested or offer their seat if someone appears to need it more than they. We are focusing on those who aren't paying attention or don't know and trying to keep it positive.
We chose not to quote federal law. We know there will always be rude people who refuse to move or pretend not to get it. We are focusing on being positive, educating the public, and enlisting the help of fellow passengers to set the example. Not easy, we know!
Posted by: Rosemary Gerty, RTA | October 05, 2012 at 09:05 AM
I think an important distinction being missed in some of the responses from the transit agency representatives. The Federal law cited does not require other riders vacate "priority" or "reserved" seating for riders with disabilities. It requires the transit agency to ask people to move. So if you see a sign that reads, "Federal Law 49 CFR 37.167 Requires these seats must be vacated for Seniors and Disabled Persons," that is not what the law requires. It requires the agency to post a sign that requests other riders move. See, 49 CFR 37.167 at http://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/37.167.
Posted by: Ltvine | October 12, 2012 at 09:34 PM