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ADA advisory committee: accessibility progress, request for audio on new digital signage
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Summary
The CTA ADA Advisory Committee reported progress on ASAP stations and requested audio capabilities for new digital signage; committee noted relocation of a bus stop in Uptown will be moved back following cross-agency work.
Laura Salzman, chair of the CTA ADA Advisory Committee and transportation policy analyst for Access Living, reported to the board on May 14 that the committee is tracking accessibility projects and raising a series of operational concerns, particularly audible access to digital displays and bus-stop relocations affecting seniors and people with disabilities.
Highlights from the ADA committee report: - Bus stop relocation in Uptown: committee members raised an ongoing concern that the Route 36 southbound stop at Montrose and Broadway had been removed six years earlier, requiring residents with mobility impairments to walk about 1,000 feet instead of 200 feet to reach service. CTA planning staff and a Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) representative committed to investigate; Salzman later reported the stop will be relocated to improve access for seniors in the nearby building.
- ASAP and elevator work: committee members received a status update that seven ASAP stations are under construction and eight more are in design; Austin (Green Line) is under construction following a March 31 groundbreaking. The committee noted progress on Racine and Austin and ramped-up platform work.
- Digital signage and audio: the committee welcomed new elevator- and service-alert displays at RPM stations but expressed frustration that the new displays will not include audio. Committee members requested that a text-to-audio feature be incorporated in future iterations; a QR-code interim solution was suggested. CTA staff said grants have been applied for to fund digital signage with audio features.
- Homeless outreach and security concerns: Salzman summarized updates on outreach partnerships on the Red and Blue lines that reported 265 shelter placements and 104 permanent housing connections since January 2023; the committee urged continued focus on shelter capacity that meets accessibility standards.
Ending: the ADA committee will continue to monitor ASAP station designs, digital signage accessibility, and cross-agency coordination; its next meeting is scheduled for July 14, 2025.
