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Audit finds most Beaumont stops inaccessible; city asks public to rank improvements
Summary
Consultants reported 129 current stops — 26 with benches and 23 with shelters — and said 96 stops are technically inaccessible (too narrow boarding areas, missing sidewalks or steep approaches). The team invited participants to prioritize improvements across ridership, safety, comfort, accessibility, fairness and destinations.
Consultants told workshop attendees that a field inventory found 129 currently used Beaumont Transit stops: 26 have benches and 23 have shelters, but 96 stops are technically inaccessible for safe boarding because boarding areas are too small, lack an adjacent sidewalk or have gradients that prevent wheelchair‑ramp deployment.
"A lot of these buses are just on sidewalks where there's already landscape strips or the sidewalk's not wide enough for the ramp to go down all the way," said Ron Kilcoin, who explained the sidewalk and ramp clearance requirements that limit safe boarding at many locations.
The project team presented six factors to guide stop‑improvement decisions — ridership, safety, comfort (shelters/shade), accessibility (ADA boarding), fairness (equitable distribution) and destinations (medical centers, schools) — and asked participants to name their top three priorities. Participant Michael argued for ensuring fairness and fixing high‑usage stops while also removing inactive stops that still display bus signage to avoid confusion. Parent Lulu prioritized safety, destinations and accessibility for her top three.
Staff said improvements will be phased because the city cannot fix every location at once; the prioritization exercise will inform which stops receive near‑term shelters, lighting and sidewalk work in subsequent capital budgeting.
