Lane County seeks input on accessible walkways, signals

Lane County is seeking public input as it moves to create its Americans with Disabilities Act Transition Plan and looks to increase accessibility on roadways and to county government buildings.

The county is required federally to create one of these plans every few years to ensure public areas are keeping up with accessibility needs, identifying priorities and creating a solid timeline for updates. For this year's plan, the county is hoping to hear from residents through an online survey open until Aug. 31.

"This is really an opportunity for the community to help tell us what areas are most critical, what's getting the most use and where do we need to start," said Devon Ashbridge, county spokeswoman.

The plan and survey only apply to county roads, Ashbridge said, and are not being done on behalf of any cities or city streets. The county's focus for the transition plan is specifically on curb ramps and pedestrian signals.

"They're probably some of the most critical ADA infrastructure on our roadways and provide the most access to individuals," Ashbridge said. "One of the biggest areas where we have those kind of pedestrian facilities is going to be in the Santa Clara area and generally on the outskirts of the metro area here."

These are the areas the county expects to see the most input on different curb ramps and intersections, she said. In addition to asking for locations that need more accessibility, the survey also asks what options for signals the county should use, which can help those who are blind or hard of hearing.

"It would provide some options, including audible signals, vibrating signals," she said. "And it's also a good way for people to tell us what their preference is and what folks in our community want to see used."

The ADA is a civil rights law that helps protect those with disabilities from discrimination in areas of life such as jobs, government services, transportation, telecommunications and access to places open to the general public. The act gives similar civil rights protections as those given to people on the basis of race, sex, national origin, age and religion.

Friday marked the anniversary of the act being signed into law on July 26, 1990.

Because of this, keeping up with ADA compliance and ensuring public places are accessible to all is required by law. By September, the county will have the results of the online survey and plans to share those and take more input at a open house.

"We can share those early results as a way for people to participate who maybe didn't get a chance to participate in the online survey or if it's more difficult for them," Ashbridge said.

It also will be a chance for residents to ask questions and possibly see physical examples or video examples of the types of signals the county looks to install.

There is no defined cost estimate set aside for the transition plan, according to Ashbridge; "That will be part of the ongoing process, but we wanted to gather community input first."

The survey can be found online at www.lanecounty.org

Follow Jordyn Brown on Twitter @thejordynbrown or email at jbrown@registerguard.com.

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