Handrails shall have a usable component at least 8 inches long with the lowest portion a minimum 30 inches above the platform and the highest portion a maximum 38 inches above the platform. The handrails shall be capable of withstanding a force of 100 pounds concentrated at any point on the handrail without permanent deformation of the rail or its supporting structure. The handrail shall have a cross-sectional diameter between 11⁄4 inches and 11⁄2 inches or shall provide an equivalent grasping surface, and have eased edges with corner radii of not less than 8 inch. Handrails shall be placed to provide a minimum 11⁄2 inches knuckle clearance from the nearest adjacent surface. Handrails shall not interfere with wheelchair or mobility aid maneuverability when entering or leaving the car.

(c) Car ramp or bridge plate-(1) Design load. Ramps or bridge plates 30 inches or longer shall support a load of 600 pounds, placed at the centroid of the ramp or bridge plate distributed over an area of 26 inches by 26 inches, with a safety factor of at least 3 based on the ultimate strength of the material. Ramps or bridge plates shorter than 30 inches shall support a load of 300 pounds.

(2) Ramp surface. The ramp or bridge plate surface shall be continuous and slip resistant, shall not have protrusions from the surface greater than 4 inch high, shall have a clear width of 30 inches and shall accommodate both four-wheel and three-wheel mobility aids.

(3) Ramp threshold. The transition from station platform to the ramp or bridge plate and the transition from car floor to the ramp or bridge plate may be vertical without edge treatment up to 4 inch. Changes in level between 4 inch and 1⁄2 inch shall be beveled with a slope no greater than 1:2.

(4) Ramp barriers. Each side of the ramp or bridge plate shall have barriers at least 2 inches high to prevent mobility aid wheels from slipping off.

(5) Slope. Ramps or bridge plates shall have the least slope practicable. If the height of the vehicle floor, under 50% passenger load, from which the ramp is deployed is 3 inches or less above the station platform a maximum slope of

1:4 is permitted; if the height of the vehicle floor, under 50% passenger load, from which the ramp is deployed is 6 inches or less, but more than 3 inches, above the station platform a maximum slope of 1:6 is permitted; if the height of the vehicle floor, under 50% passenger load, from which the ramp is deployed is 9 inches or less, but more than 6 inches, above the station platform a maximum slope of 1:8 is permitted; if the height of the vehicle floor, under 50% passenger load, from which the ramp is deployed is greater than 9 inches above the station platform a slope of 1:12 shall be achieved. Folding or telescoping ramps are permitted provided they meet all structural requirements of this section.

(6) Attachment—(i) Requirement. When in use for boarding or alighting, the ramp or bridge plate shall be attached to the vehicle, or otherwise prevented from moving such that it is not subject to displacement when loading or unloading a heavy power mobility aid and that any gaps between vehicle and ramp or bridge plate, and station platform and ramp or bridge plate, shall not exceed 5% inch.

(ii) Exception. Ramps or bridge plates which are attached to, and deployed from, station platforms are permitted in lieu of car devices provided they meet the displacement requirements of paragraph (c)(6)(i) of this section.

(7) Stowage. A compartment, securement system, or other appropriate method shall be provided to ensure that stowed ramps or bridge plates, including portable ramps or bridge plates stowed in the passenger area, do not impinge on a passenger's wheelchair or mobility aid or pose any hazard to passengers in the event of a sudden stop.

(8) Handrails. If provided, handrails shall allow persons with disabilities to grasp them from outside the car while starting to board, and to continue to use them throughout the boarding process, and shall have the top between 30 inches and 38 inches above the ramp surface. The handrails shall be capable of withstanding a force of 100 pounds concentrated at any point on the handrail without permanent deformation of the rail or its supporting structure. The handrail shall have a cross-sectional diameter between 14 inches and

11⁄2 inches or shall provide an equivalent grasping surface, and have eased edges with corner radii of not less than 8 inch. Handrails shall not interfere with wheelchair or mobility aid maneuverability when entering or leaving the car.

(d) Seating (1) Requirements. All intercity rail cars required to be accessible by §§38.111 (a) and (e) of this subpart shall provide at least one, but not more than two, mobility aid seating location(s) complying with paragraph (d)(2) of this section; and at least one, but not more than two, seating location(s) complying with paragraph (d)(3) of this section which adjoin or overlap an accessible route with a minimum clear width of 32 inches.

(2) Wheelchair or mobility aid spaces. Spaces for persons who wish to remain in their wheelchairs or mobility aids shall have a minimum clear floor space 48 inches by 30 inches. Such spaces shall adjoin, and may overlap, an accessible path. Not more than 6 inches of the required clear floor space may be accommodated for footrests under another seat provided there is a minimum of 9 inches from the floor to the lowest part of the seat overhanging the space. Seating spaces may have fold-down or removable seats to accommodate other passengers when a wheelchair or mobility aid user is not occupying the area, provided the seats, when folded up, do not obstruct the clear floor space provided (See Fig. 2).

(3) Other spaces. Spaces for individuals who wish to transfer shall include a regular coach seat or dining car booth or table seat and space to fold and store the passenger's wheelchair. [56 FR 45756, Sept. 6, 1991, as amended at 58 FR 623103, Nov. 30, 1993]

§ 38.127 Sleeping compartments.

(a) Sleeping compartments required to be accessible shall be designed so as to allow a person using a wheelchair or mobility aid to enter, maneuver within and approach and use each element within such compartment. (See Fig. 5.) (b) Each accessible compartment shall contain a restroom complying with §38.123(a) which can be entered directly from such compartment.

(c) Controls and operating mechanisms (e.g., heating and air condi

tioning controls, lighting controls, call buttons, electrical outlets, etc.) shall be mounted no more than 48 inches, and no less than 15 inches, above the floor and shall have a clear floor area directly in front a minimum of 30 inches by 48 inches. Controls and operating mechanisms shall be operable with one hand and shall not require tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist.

Subpart G-Over-the-Road Buses and Systems

§38.151 General.

(a) New, used and remanufactured over-the-road buses, to be considered accessible by regulations in part 37 of this title, shall comply with this subpart.

(b) Over-the-road buses covered by §37.7 (c) of this title shall comply with §38.23 and this subpart.

§38.153 Doors, steps and thresholds.

(a) Floor surfaces on aisles, step treads and areas where wheelchair and mobility aid users are to be accommodated shall be slip-resistant.

(b) All step edges shall have a band of color(s) running the full width of the step which contrasts from the step tread and riser, either dark-on-light or light-on-dark.

(c) To the maximum extent practicable, doors shall have a minimum clear width when open of 30 inches, but in no case less than 27 inches.

§ 38.155 Interior circulation, handrails and stanchions.

(a) Handrails and stanchions shall be provided in the entrance to the vehicle in a configuration which allows passengers to grasp such assists from outside the vehicle while starting to board, and to continue using such handrails or stanchions throughout the boarding process. Handrails shall have a cross-sectional diameter between 11⁄4 inches and 11⁄2 inches or shall provide an equivalent grasping surface, and have eased edges with corner radii of not less than 8 inch. Handrails shall be placed to provide a minimum 11⁄2 inches knuckle clearance from the nearest adjacent surface. Where on-board fare

collection devices are used, a horizontal passenger assist shall be located between boarding passengers and the fare collection device and shall prevent passengers from sustaining injuries on the fare collection device or windshield in the event of a sudden deceleration. Without restricting the vestibule space, the assist shall provide support for a boarding passenger from the door through the boarding procedure. Passengers shall be able to lean against the assist for security while paying fares.

(b) Where provided within passenger compartments, handrails or stanchions shall be sufficient to permit safe onboard circulation, seating and standing assistance, and alighting by persons with disabilities.

$38.157 Lighting.

(a) Any stepwell or doorway immediately adjacent to the driver shall have, when the door is open, at least 2 foot-candles of illumination measured on the step tread.

(b) The vehicle doorway shall have outside light(s) which, when the door is open, provide at least 1 foot-candle of illumination on the street surface for a distance of 3 feet perpendicular to all points on the bottom step tread outer edge. Such light(s) shall be located below window level and shielded to protect the eyes of entering and exiting passengers.

§ 38.159 Mobility aid accessibility. [Reserved]

Subpart H-Other Vehicles and Systems

§ 38.171 General.

(a) New, used and remanufactured vehicles and conveyances for systems not covered by other subparts of this part, to be considered accessible by regulations in part 37 of this title shall comply with this subpart.

(b) If portions of the vehicle or conveyance are modified in a way that affects or could affect accessibility, each such portion shall comply, to the extent practicable, with the applicable provisions of this subpart. This provision does not require that inaccessible

vehicles be retrofitted with lifts, ramps or other boarding devices.

(c) Requirements for vehicles and systems not covered by this part shall be determined on a case-by-case basis by the Department of Transportation in consultation with the U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board).

§ 38.173 Automated guideway transit vehicles and systems.

(a) Automated Guideway Transit (AGT) vehicles and systems, sometimes called "people movers", operated in airports and other areas where AGT vehicles travel at slow speed (i.e., at a speed of no more than 20 miles per hour at any location on their route during normal operation), shall comply with the provisions of §38.53 (a) through (c), and §§ 38.55 through 38.61 of this part for rapid rail vehicles and systems.

(b) Where the vehicle covered by paragraph (a) will operate in an accessible station, the design of vehicles shall be coordinated with the boarding platform design such that the horizontal gap between a vehicle door at rest and the platform shall be no greater than 1 inch and the height of the vehicle floor shall be within plus or minus 1⁄2 inch of the platform height under all normal passenger load conditions. Vertical alignment may be accomplished by vehicle air suspension or other suitable means of meeting the requirement.

(c) In stations where open platforms are not protected by platform screens, a suitable device or system shall be provided to prevent, deter or warn individuals from stepping off the platform between cars. Acceptable devices include, but are not limited to, pantograph gates, chains, motion detectors or other appropriate devices.

(d) Light rail and rapid rail AGT vehicles and systems shall comply with subparts D and C of this part, respectively. AGT systems whose vehicles travel at a speed of more than 20 miles per hour at any location on their route during normal operation are covered under this paragraph rather than under paragraph (a) of this section.

[56 FR 45756, Sept. 6, 1991, as amended at 61 FR 25416, May 21, 1996]

§ 38.175 High-speed rail cars, monorails and systems.

(a) All cars for high-speed rail systems, including but not limited to those using "maglev" or high speed steel-wheel-on-steel rail technology, and monorail systems operating primarily on dedicated rail (i.e., not used by freight trains) or guideway, in which stations are constructed in accordance with part 37, subpart C of this title, shall be designed for high-platform, level boarding and shall comply with §38.111(a) of this part for each type of car which is similar to intercity rail, §§ 38.111(d), 38.113 (a) through (c) and (e), 38.115 (a) and (b), 38.117 (a) and (b), 38.121 through 38.123, 38.125(d), and 38.127 (if applicable) of this part. The design of cars shall be coordinated with the boarding platform design such that the horizontal gap between a car door at rest and the platform shall be no greater than 3 inches and the height of the car floor shall be within plus or minus % inch of the platform height under all normal passenger load conditions. Vertical alignment may be accomplished by car air suspension or other suitable means of meeting the requirement. All doorways shall have, when the door is open, at least 2 footcandles of illumination measured on the door threshold.

(b) All other high-speed rail cars shall comply with the similar provisions of subpart F of this part.

§ 38.177 Ferries, excursion boats and other vessels. [Reserved]

§ 38.179 Trams, and similar vehicles, and systems

(a) New and used trams consisting of a tractor unit, with or without passenger accommodations, and one or more passenger trailer units, including but not limited to vehicles providing shuttle service to remote parking areas, between hotels and other public accommodations, and between and within amusement parks and other recreation areas, shall comply with this section. For purposes of determining applicability of 49 CFR 37.101, 37.103, or 37.105 the capacity of such a vehicle or "train" shall consist of the total combined seating capacity of all units, plus the driver, prior to any modification for accessibility.

(b) Each tractor unit which accommodates passengers and each trailer unit shall comply with §38.25 and §38.29 of this part. In addition, each such unit shall comply with §38.23 (b) or (c) and shall provide at least one space for wheelchair or mobility aid users complying with §38.23(d) of this part unless the complete operating unit consisting of tractor and one or more trailers can already accommodate at least two wheelchair or mobility aid users.