STATEMENT OF DAN DIRKS

COMMUNITY RELATIONS REPRESENTATIVE
SUBURBAN MOBILITY AUTHORITY FOR REGIONAL
TRANSPORTATION (SMART)
SEPTEMBER 20, 1989

THE STATE OF MICHIGAN HAS MANDATED ACCESSIBLE

LARGE BUSES ON STATE FINANCED REGULAR ROUTE SERVICE SINCE 1979. SINCE THAT TIME, SMART HAS WORKED ACTIVELY WITH ITS OLDER ADULT AND DISABLED CUSTOMERS TO IMPROVE SERVICE THROUGH A VERY ACTIVE ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

I

THERE HAS BEEN MUCH CONCERN ABOUT TRANSPORTING WHEEL CHAIR USERS ON THE LARGE BUS REGULAR ROUTE SERVICE OFFERED BY LOCAL TRANSIT AUTHORITIES. SUGGEST THAT IMPROVEMENTS CAN BE MADE IN THE SYSTEM TO MAKE THE BUS SYSTEM AVAILABLE FOR ALL THE DISABLED.

APPROXIMATELY FIVE YEARS AGO, MICHAEL PATTEN, A STAFF MEMBER OF THE VISUAL HANDICAPPED SERVICES DEPARTMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY HEALTH CENTER AT WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY, WHO IS A MEMBER OF THE SMART ADVISORY GROUP, COMPLAINED ABOUT THE DIFFICULTY IN SIGNALING THE SMART BUS IN THE DOWNTOWN DETROIT AREA. THERE ARE TWO TRANSIT PROVIDERS IN DETROIT, THE DETROIT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (FOR DETROIT ONLY TRIPS), AND SMART

DAN G. DIRKS
SEPTEMBER 20, 1989
PAGE TWO

(FOR DETROIT TO THE SUBURBS, AND SUBURB TO SUBURB TRIPS). VISUAL IMPAIRED RIDERS COULD NOT

DISTINGUISH BETWEEN A DETROIT BUS, A SMART BUS, OR EVEN A TRUCK. MICHAEL WORKED WITH THE STAFF TO DISCOVER A SOLUTION.

TOGETHER WE DEVELOPED A MITT WHICH COULD EITHER BE PLACED OVER THE HAND OR ON A CANE, THE MITT'S

DESIGN COORDINATED WITH THE COLORS AND LOGO OF THE TRANSIT AUTHORITY TO MAKE IT EASY FOR THE SMART BUS DRIVERS TO RECOGNIZE. IT WAS AN IMMEDIATE

SUCCESS.

THE FIRST ORDER OF MITTS WAS 100. WITHIN SIX
WEEKS AN ADDITIONAL ORDER WAS MADE. LAST YEAR
PAINT WAS ADDED TO THE LOGO WHICH WOULD REFLECT
LIGHT MAKING NIGHT RIDING EASIER.

AFTER USING THE MITT FOR TWO YEARS, A WHEEL CHAIR
MEMBER OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE COMPLAINED OF THE
FRUSTRATION IN SOME CHAIR USERS NOT BEING ABLE TO
GET TO THE MAIN LINE BUS STOP WHICH ARE 1/4 MILE
OR MORE APART. SMART DRIVERS ARE NORMALLY
REQUIRED TO PICK UP ONLY AT SUCH DESIGNATED STOPS,

DAN G. DIRKS
SEPTEMBER 20, 1989
PAGE THREE

AND AS A RESULT, SOME CHAIR USERS WERE BEING

PASSED UP. THE COMMITTEE RECOGNIZED THE MITTS AS A
POSSIBLE ANSWER, AGAIN, IT HAS WORKED WELL.

COMPLAINTS ABOUT DRIVERS PASSING WHEEL CHAIR
CUSTOMERS HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED.

TODAY, SMART WILL PICK UP EITHER WHEEL CHAIR OR

VISUAL IMPAIRED CUSTOMERS WHO USE THE MITT AT ANY RELIABILITY HAS IMPROVED; CUSTOMER

STREET CORNER.

RELATIONS HAVE IMPROVED; AND RIDERSHIP HAS

IMPROVED.

IN JULY, 1989, THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED THAT SMART EXPAND THIS PROGRAM ON A SPECIAL REQUEST BASIS TO ANY DISABLED RIDER WHO HAS A MOBILITY

LIMITATION WHICH COULD BE AIDED BY THE USE OF THE

MITT.

A SECOND PROJECT TO ENCOURAGE RIDERSHIP BY WHEEL
CHAIR USERS WAS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE

VOLUNTEER EFFORTS OF A MEMBER OF THE ADVISORY

COMMITTEE. FRANK CLARK, THE CHAIR OF THE DETROIT

COALITION FOR THE HANDICAPPED, HAS TAKEN THE

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY OF TRAINING WHEEL CHAIR

THE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC WORKS AND TRANSPORTATION
SUBCOMMITTEE ON SURFACE TRANSPORTATION

SEPTEMBER 20, 1989