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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES CC 1992 827 1992 0115RESOLUTION NO. 92- 827 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF MOORPAR.K, CALIFORNIA, ADOPTING THE CITY'S PARATRANSIT PLAN IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT OF 1990. WHEREAS, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) was enacted into law on July 26, 1990, amending civil rights legislation to provide rights to access, employment, telecommunication, pubic accommodation, and transportation to persons with disabilities; and WHEREAS, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 requires all public transportation providers to develop and submit paratransit plans to the U. S. Department of Transportation by January 26, 1992; WHEREAS, a Public Hearing was held on January 15, 1992, as required by the Act, to hear public comment regarding the proposed Paratransit Plan; NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MOORPARK, CALIFORNIA, DOES RESOLVE, DECLARE, DETERMINE AND ORDER AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Adopt the City's Paratransit Plan, attached hereto as Attachment A. SECTION 2. That the Plan be submitted to the U.S. Department of Transportation by January 26, 1992. PASSED AND ADOPTED this 15t1i day of January, 1992. ATTEST: Lillian E. i,411"Larman, City / *r\,L"3 haul W. La son Jr., Mktor ATTACHMENT Paratransit Plan DRAFT Section 1 - General Information r Entity: CITY OF MOORPARK Address: 799 Moorpark Avenue, CA 93021 Telephone: (805) 529 -6864 Fax: (805) 529 -8270 Contact Person: Mary Lindley, Assistant to the City Manager The City of Moorpark was incorporated in 1983. The City's population is 25,494 (1990 Census) and its boundaries cover 12.44 square miles. Moorpark is located in the southeastern section of Ventura County. It is surrounded by open space, predominantly farmland and rolling hills. Primary access to the City is provided by State Routes 118 and 23. Section 2 - Description of the Fixed Route System Population and Service Area The City's transit system is available to the general public and has no eligibility requirements. The route covers approximately 17 road miles. (see attached map) Route Structure and Service Operations The City's transit service is a fixed route bus system. Operation of the system was contracted out to a private bus service company. Periodic evaluations are conducted to review the quality of the service and performance levels. The transit system operates with one bus which completes a full loop of the City hourly. The system operates Monday through Friday, from 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and service is not provided on major holidays. The current one -way fare is $.50. The service contractor is required to provide a lift equipped bus upon 24 hour notice. Currently, there is no formal connection that will allow riders on the City's bus to transfer to any other bus system. The Simi Valley fixed route bus system operates a route to Moorpark College. Moorpark bus riders can meet the Simi Valley bus at the College as a means of getting to Simi Valley, but the cities do not have agreements that allow them to honor each others' bus tickets. Riders wishing to go from one system to the other must pay the fare for each bus. The Paratransit Plan Page 2 schedules for Moorpark and Simi Valley buses stopping at the College are not coordinated. Section 3 - Description of Existing Paratransit Services vice Drovided by submitting entit The City's bus service operator is obligated, on a contractual basis, to provide .a wheelchair lift equipped bus upon 24 hour verbal notice. Individuals who are confined to a wheelchair must call the City one day in advance to request bus service. Handicapped individuals must be able to transport themselves to a designated bus stop to utilize this service. Service provided by other agencies There are three other transportation alternatives for handicapped residents living in Moorpark. Medi Ride is a private company that provides door -to -door transportation services to and from locations throughout Ventura County. Reservations for service must be made in advance. Medi Ride provides wheelchair lift equipped vehicles and physical assistance to frail and disabled individuals. There is no age eligibility requirement for services. This service is primarily used for medical appointments but Medi Ride will provide transportation for any purpose, anywhere within Ventura County, as long as an individual is able to pay for the full cost ride. The cost of the service is $20 plus $1.50 per mile. For eligible riders, MediCal will pay a significant portion of the cost. The Senior Survival Mobile provides very limited door to door transportation services to Moorpark residents. The service is restricted to medical appointments only. To qualify for services an individual must be 60 years of age or older and may only use the service once per month. There is no charge for the service although donations are accepted. The City provides limited financial support for this service. Disabled Students Services of Moorpark College provides transportation for handicapped students attending the college. The service is door -to -door and the vehicles are equipped with wheelchair lifts. Paratransit Plan Page 3 Section 4 - Description of Proposed Complementary Paratransit Service Paratransit Service Description The City proposes to modify its existing fixed route system to a fixed route /route deviation system. The bus will operate along a fixed route and follow a set schedule. Upon request, the bus will leave the set route to pick up or deliver a handicapped individual who qualifies for paratransit service and return to the same point on the route to continue its run. The City's bus system will continue to operate with one wheelchair lift equipped bus, with the same days and hours as the fixed route system. Next day reservations will be required for paratransit service. Since City Hall is closed on Sunday, an answering machine will be used to take reservations for Mondays. The fare for paratransit service has not been determined, but will not exceed twice the set fare for fixed route service. The current fixed route service is $0.50 each way. Estimate of Demand According to the 1990 census, 90 percent of the individuals residing in Moorpark are below the age of 50. The City incorporated after the 1980 census. As a result, census information pertaining to disabled persons who had difficulties using public transportation is not available. Without this information, estimating the percentage of paratransit eligible residents is difficult. Existing ridership data is not applicable to establishing paratransit demand estimates. Transit ridership figures identify the number of one -way trips per month but do not provide an unduplicated count of the number of individuals utilizing the service. Ridership figures for fixed route service is show that approximately 200 one -way rides per week are provided. The City currently provides a wheelchair lift equipped bus for handicapped individuals who can travel to a fixed route bus stop. To date, only one resident has made use of this service. To determine the percentage of eligible individuals in each of the three categories identified in the ADA, participation numbers were gathered from agencies serving disabled residents. Based on the this information, the paratransit estimates for each of the three categories sited in the "Preliminary Regulatory Impact Analysis of Transportation Paratransit Plan Page4 Accessibility Requirements for the Americans with Disabilities Act" were modified to reflect Moorpark's population. Estimates developed by the City of Camarillo were also used for comparison. ADA Paratransit Eligibility Categories Cat. 1 - Persons unable to board, ride, or .25% disembark from a accessible vehicle or stop. Cat. 2 - Persons who cannot use a vehicle with- .30% lifts or other accommodations. Cat. 3 - Persons with specific impairment related .49% conditions travel to, or disembark at, at bus stop. Table I illustrates that approximately 1.04 percent of total Moorpark's population, over a 5 year period, would be eligible for paratransit service using the three categories identified above. FIVE YEAR ELIGIBILITY ESTIMATES (BASED ON 4% ANNUAL GROWTH) YEAR I YEAR 2 YEAR 3 YEAR 4 YEAR 5 CATEGORY! 64 66 69 83 135 72 86 141 75 89 146 CATEGORY 2 76 80 CATEGORY 3 125 30 TOTAL ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS 265 '76 287 299 310 Paratransit Plan Page 5 Table II identifies the total paratransit eligible population, the number of eligible individuals expected to request service, and the estimated number of one -way trips. Based on the requests for transit service received by the City in the past from handicapped individuals and the data obtained from agencies providing services to handicapped residents, 10 percent of the persons eligible are expected to request paratransit service. It is estimated that each eligible person will request three one -way rides per month. SUMMARY CHART OF POPULATION AND DEMAND ANALYSIS ADA PARATRANSIT ELIGIBLE PERSONS TABLE 11 Demand estimates will need to be refined once the City's paratransit system is operational and additional data is available. Six Service Criteria Service Area - As required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City's paratransit service area will extend no less than 3/4 of a street mile over the fixed route system. See attached map. Response Time - The City's paratransit service will provide "next day service ". Requests for service will be accommodated no later than the following day. Since the City's YEAR I I YEAR 2 YEAR 3 YEAR 4 1 YEAR 5 TOTAL ONE TOTAL PERSONS ONE TOTAL PERSONS ONE TOTAL PERSONS G%E TOTAL PERSONS ONE EUG. CERTIFIED MAY ELIG CERTIFIED WAY EUG CERTIFIED WAY EUG CERTIFIED WAY ELG CERTIFIED WAY POP. FOR TRIPS POP. FOR TRIPS POP FOR TRIPS POP FOR TRIPS POP. FOR TRIPS PARATRA%WT PARATRA.%Sl PARATRANVT PARATRAh6R CATEGORIES 189 19 684 196 20 720 204 20 720 213 21 756 221 21 756 1 &3 76 8 288 80 8 288 x I 8 288 86 9 324 89 9 324 CATEGORY 2 HUMAN SERVICE 0 0 0 0 0 1) I II fi 0 0 0 0 0 0 PROGRAM CLIENTS Demand estimates will need to be refined once the City's paratransit system is operational and additional data is available. Six Service Criteria Service Area - As required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City's paratransit service area will extend no less than 3/4 of a street mile over the fixed route system. See attached map. Response Time - The City's paratransit service will provide "next day service ". Requests for service will be accommodated no later than the following day. Since the City's Paratransit Plan Page 6 administrative offices are closed on Sunday, a telephone answering system will be utilized for receiving paratransit requests for Monday service. Eligible paratransit riders will be permitted to place trip requests up to 14 days in advance. Fares - The fare charged for complementary paratransit service has not been determined, but will not exceed twice the fixed route fare. Anyone other than a "personal care attendant" (anyone providing necessary assistance) accompanying the eligible rider will also be charged the fare set for paratransit, "personal care attendants" will ride at no charge. Trip Purpose - Requests for all types of trip purposes will be accepted and handled on an equal basis. Priority for one type of trip will not be given over another. Hours and Days of Service - The hours and days of the City's paratransit service will be identical to those of the fixed route service. The system will operate on the same day, and with the same hours, as the fixed route system. Neither fixed route nor paratransit service will be provided on holidays observed by the City. Capacity Constraints - The City will do its utmost to ensure that all eligible persons requesting paratransit service, receive the service in a timely manner. A paratransit service report will be developed to provide information on the City's efforts. The data collected will include, but not be limited to, response times, time traveled, missed trips, trip denials, and on -time performance. This information will be used to evaluate and improve the paratransit system. Imglementation Timetable The following timetable will be used as a guide for implementing the City's paratransit service: February 29, 1992 - Establish a paratransit advisory committee comprised of staff, human service organization representatives, and representatives from the disabled population. April 30, 1992 - Form an eligibility certification panel responsible for reviewing applications for paratransit eligibility and granting /denying requests. June 30, 1992 - Set Paratrans i t fare rate not the exceed twice the fixed route rate. Paratransit Plan Page 7 June 30, 1992 - Disseminate paratransit eligibility applications and information regarding the service throughout the City. August 31, 1992 - Begin paratransit service. Operating Budget To accommodate a deviated fixed route /paratransit system additional time, over the 9 1/2 hours contracted currently, may be required at some point in the future. For the first year; however, the paratransit system will operate within the same budget as the current fixed route system and will not require an increase in the transit expenditures. Section 5 - Eligibility Determination Process Following ADA regulations, an individual may be eligible for the City's paratransit service if they meet one or more of the following: Unable to board, ride or disembark an accessible vehicle independently (i.e., without more assistance than would be provided by the operator of a wheelchair lift). Have a specific impairment- related condition that prevents traveling to or from a bus stop. If a handicap accessible bus in not available within a half hour of the desired travel time. Eligibility Information Brochures describing the City paratransit service and application /certification process will be available at City Hall, the library, participating social service agencies and organizations, and medical practitioners. The City will utilize written media, as well as cable T.V., to inform residents regarding the paratransit system. All information will be available in accessible formats upon request, and the City will provide assistance with completing application forms. Applications, which will include a "physical evaluation of functional disability" survey, will be submitted directly to the City. Upon receipt, the City will review the applications for completeness. The applications will then be forwarded to Paratransit Plan Page 8 the eligibility certification panel. The panel will utilize a self- certification process, relying on the applying individuals to provide background information. When necessary, additional documentation may be requested from a medical practitioner. The panel will prepare an eligibility recommendation on the basis of input from the application, disability survey, and system and environmental review. Recommendations will specify any conditions that limit eligibility including a termination date. For applicants found to be permanently eligible, certification will be valid for two years, with re- certification required at the end of that time. Applicants with temporary eligibility will receive a termination date which will reflect the expected duration of the disability, not to exceed two years. Determinations on paratransit eligibility will be made within 21 days of the date the application is found to be complete. If a determination is not made within that time, the City will provide paratransit service to the applicant until eligibility is denied. Individuals determined to be eligible for paratransit service will be notified of their eligibility by letter. The notification of certification will specify any conditions of eligibility, including termination dates and trip limits. If a personal care attendant or a guide dog is required, that will also be noted. Identification cards will be issued listing any pertinent information. Individuals determined to be ineligible for paratransit service will be so notified by letter. The reasons for the eligibility finding will be clearly stated. A description of the process for appealing the ineligibility finding will also be enclosed. All notifications of eligibility determinations will be provided in an accessible format, upon written requested. Appeals Process The appeals process is intended to provide recourse for individuals denied paratransit eligibility status by verifying that the certification process was followed and certification criteria were consistently applied. Individuals determined to be ineligible for paratransit service may appeal the eligibility finding, in writing, within Paratransit Plan Page 9 60 days. Appeals will be heard by an appeals panel consisting of the City Manager and /or an independent hearing officer if necessary, designated specifically to hear appeals on eligibility findings. Findings on appeals will be issued within 30 days of the date the appeal was filed. On reaching a determination, the appeals board will notify the applicant in writing, or in an accessible format if requested in writing. An individual who lives outside of Moorpark and has been certified for paratransit service by another applicable jurisdiction will be provided paratransit service while visiting the City. Documentation of certification must be presented. Guests Individuals certified for paratransit service may travel with at least one guest. The guest will be required to pay the fare established for paratransit service. Section 6 - Public Participation Process Efforts were made to involve the various human service organizations that provide services to persons with disabilities in the planning process. The organizations that were contacted include: Moorpark College Disabled Students Services Medi Ride Braille Institute Independent Living Center Ventura County Senior Survival Mobile Arthritis Foundation (Public Hearing information to be added) Paratransit Plan Page 10 Section 6 - Coordination Efforts The only exiting transit system that either informally or formally could be perceived as connection with Moorpark's fixed route transit system is the City of Simi Valley. Staff from each city have agreed to meet early in the implementation process to develop procedures whereby transfers from one system to the another can be coordinated. Policies regarding transfer schedules and fares will be addressed in formal agreements, which will be reviewed for approval by the respective councils. MOORPARK 799 Moorpark Avenue Moorpark, California 93021 (805) 529-6864 STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) COUNTY OF VENTURA CITY OF MOORPARK ) I, Lillian E. Kellerman, City Clerk of the City of Moorpark, California, do hereby certify under penalty of perjury that the foregoing Resolution No. 92 -827 was adopted by the City Council of the City of Moorpark at a meeting held on the 15th day of JANUARY 1992, and that the same was adopted by the following vote: AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS MONTGOMERY, PEREZ, TALLEY, WOZNIAK AND MAYOR_ LAWRASON NOES: NONE ABSENT: NONE ABSTAIN: NONE WITNESS my hand and the official seal of said City this 16th day of JANUARY 1992_