State to pay unprecedented $1.1 billion to make walkways accessible to disabled

In an unprecedented court settlement reached today, Caltrans has agreed to spend $1.1 billion over the next 30 years to repair and improve sidewalks, crosswalks and park-and-ride facilities across the state so they are accessible for people with disabilities.

The settlement, filed at the federal courthouse in Oakland, is a major victory for civil rights activists that have been battling with Caltrans for years to provide equal access to public rights-of-way for the blind and people who use wheelchairs.

"It’s about time," said Ben Rockwell, 64, of Long Beach, a wheelchair user and a plaintiff in the class-action lawsuit. "While this work might not be finished in my lifetime, I hope that future generations will see better access throughout all areas of the state because of what has been done here."

The agreement applies to about 2,500 miles of sidewalk, crosswalks and park-and-ride facilities that are owned and maintained by Caltrans along state roads and highways.

Attorneys from Disability Rights Advocates, a nonprofit law firm based in Berkeley, contend that thousands of  required wheelchair ramps along state routes are either missing, do not comply with federal law or lack warnings such as bumps that the blind can feel underfoot.

The conditions, they say, are dangerous and can force wheelchair users, for example, to detour onto streets, where they risk being hit by vehicles.

"This settlement is a win-win," said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. "It would be inexcusable to continue to delay these modifications. Instead of debating this through the legal process for the next decade, costing millions of taxpayer dollars, we are taking action to get this work completed."

-- Dan Weikel

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Comments

[Matt]

this is why our state and federal governments are going bankrupt

[Lorna Nakata]

Keep up the good work in your town. We are here in Hawaii and looking for direction on some matters.

[Whatever]

My street was never paved in 18 years. The sidewalks though all are wheelchair accessible. I am yet to see a single person in a wheelchair in my neighborhood, though I have requested many time that the street be repaved.
I am not against providing equal access. I am against providing more for the people with disabilities while providing nothing for the rest of us.

[Joe]

Caltrans should also flatten out intersections where the roads are build to drain water from 1 side of the street to another.

These intersections cause majority of the congestion issues. Secondly proper drainage system will improve flooding conditions during sudden downpours..

Simple fixes goes a long way.

[Mychal]

Deal with it! You're disabled. Stay home and be a good citizen.

[Sean]

Excellent. Now we can get this money away from silly things like repairing California's nation-worst highways.

[Dan]

"This settlement is a win-win". Once again, special interest groups are bankrupty this state. It won't cost the state 1.1 billion dollars, it's the taxpayer, because the state doesn't comply with it's own rules. They should have settled this years ago rather than appeal and appeal. Hey, novel idea, have the governor and first lady pay for it for talking on cell-phones and parking in the Red Zone!

[Logic]

What a waste of money! How many blind and handicapped people are there? How often do they use these sidewalks? What is the cost per use? It would be cheaper to give free taxi rides to everyone who is in a wheelchair or blind.

I hope the State of California defaults on their debt and collaspe. Fire everyone in Sacramento.

[Joe Shmo]

I feel that disabled people should have to pay for these improvements

[Chuck]

Absolutely. Good idea. Wonderful. Now,... who's going to pay for this entitlement? The blind and disabled? I don't mean to offend but I doubt that there is a billion dollars in taxes paid to the state from any and all resources which is soley the contribution of the disabled. But they are the sole beneficiary of this disastrous decision. So,... why not ask them to pay for it? Oh,.. I'm hard hearted am I? Take a look at the mess the state is in and tell me where the funds can possibly come from? Maybe we could lay off some firefighters, or cops, oh I know, raise taxes some more... or maybe shut down the Assisted Living Centers which are already commanding about a billion in state money to benefit,... who again?, the disabled Californian. I want to help as much as anyone, but there is are limits and we need to stop at those limits and say no more until we can afford to pay for it. That's my two cents. I hope it helps.

[David]

Stupid. Absolutely stupid. I can't wait until someone in South Central LA sues the city to replace all the worn out traffic markings on the street, all the tagged over stop signs, missing and damaged street name signs, missing and damaged parking enforcement signs, worn out red curb, missing pieces of curb, and missing pieces of sidewalks.

You handicapped people are nothing special. Wait in line like the rest of us do and deal with it.

AND THEN, they get a tax break to boot! What a load!

[David Ball]

How ridiculous....the State is going broke and this is our priority allocation of funds to benefita tiny % of the population ?

[DOA]

"costing millions of taxpayer dollars"

As opposed to the 1.1 billion this is costing? Let's just give every American with a disability free everything. Housing, health care, 24 hour maids, nurses, travel, food, beverage and entertainment. Give them access to free legal care so they can continue to sue every business owner in America without a 40 foot ramp and a technologically advanced 1100 square foot wash facility. In fact lets just give every American who doesn't feel like working free everything too. Let's give everyone the best of everything. Why not? Seems to be the way of this administration. Give give give. You want it? You got it. Someone down the line can pay for our current gluttony and lack of self control. Take take take. No waiting. America wanted the tired hungry and poor? Guess what...

[Richard]

While the average $34 million /year is not insignificant, and I have no idea
how it will be spent, it's not what is making us go bankrupt. What is making us
go bankrupt is the pension system, the overpaid state employees (not all are),
the idiotic politicians (most are), law suits that cost more than they are worth
(Tenny Pearce anyone?), welfare payments for non-citizens, education for the
children of non-residents, jail costs for crimes committed by illegal aliens
(in addition to being here ILLEGALLY in the first place) and so forth.

[Dan]

Unbelievable......has anyone seen the caluation of what this costs per Disabled Person? This just can't continue....what will the disabled do when there isn't enough money to send them monthly checks?

[Harry H.]

Is the City of LA next to pony up?

[Kenneth]

What about the vehicles that carry the disabled on the disabled streets. LA has like 1.1 billion potholes in the streets. They are going to focus on sidewalks, sidewalks, they talking about sidewalks in my Allen Iverson voice.

[finhead]

I am in the construction business, there are two laws that cost us billions and billions and are virtually worthless. One is the water quality laws the passed, but mostly it is the handicap laws that get worse and worse with every new edition. It is virtually impossible to a commercial building on a slope hill anymore, the ramps would cost more than the building, It use to be you need one handicap entry, no every entry needs to be handicapped, even the ones in a truck dock, so we buld $40,000 ramps everytime the need a fire exist door. Just complete wastes of maoney

[Michael]

Nice....this will be paid by taxpayers which the state will continue to increase the rates on to pay for it. Companies are leaving CA in record numbers to escape this overregulated/taxed state which will put more tax burden on those here supporting all these programs. Here is the irony: the overpaid/overcompensated/full pension state employees (Cal-Trans) will get paid this money to make these improvements which is the other major problem with our state and its growing debt service.

[Peaches]

Glad it's not just me who thinks this is just another slam-dunk in the California Race to the Stupid. The only people who are going to benefit from this b.s. are the lawyers who won the decision. As has been mentioned, the city is lousy with those ramps and seeing someone in a wheelchair actually using them is a rare thing indeed. Can't wait to get out of this ridiculous state.

[exhuming mccarthy]

What a bunch of garbage. Where is the state going to come up with this money?

[Julian B Duron]

This has got to be typical California. Nevermind the State house is burning down but we will have handicap access. I bet the teachers, Police and Firefighters sure could use 1.1 Billion. Present State Assembly cannot even balance a budget. Now wait until next year.
If Federal court manadtes the State to comply with this settlement let the Federal Government pay the costs.

[Keith]

Can we discharge this settlement when the state goes bankrupt?

[OC Dude]

That's funny. The latest white trash look in the IE is to park your pick 'em up or Corolla partly in your driveway into the street. Mondays especially busy with football on the flat panel in the garage. Of course no one cares about the sidewalk being block. The police? Hahahahaha.

[Mark]

To paraphrase the anti-gay crowd:

1. Why should the desires of a small minority be put ahead of the majority?

2. The state should focus on the economy before anything else. Spending money on something like sidewalks for disabled people is a distraction that the state can't afford right now.

3. The handicapped already have every right that non-handicapped people have. Why do they want special rights?

4. What's next? Today the disabled want special sidewalks. Just wait. Next thing you know they'll be demanding special buses and taxis.

5. Upgrading sidewalks for the disabled might teach kids that it's cool to be handicapped.

6. Show me where the Constitution says that handicapped-accessible facilities are a right.

7. They should let the public vote on this. It's not right to approve something this major without letting the public voice its opinion.