RTD settles lawsuit and agrees to retrofit 172 light rail vehicles for ADA accessibility

Individual light rail vehicles only have room for one wheelchair. RTD has agreed to fix that, along with other measures to better accommodate disabled users.

staff photo
Megan Arellano
The RTD Convention Center Station. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite) rtd; light rail; denver; colorado; denverite; kevinjbeaty; central business district; downtown;

The RTD Convention Center Station. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

More than two years after a lawsuit was filed, RTD has agreed to make more room on light rail vehicles for passengers using wheelchairs.

In the 2014 lawsuit, Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition alleged that RTD was violating the Americans with Disability Act because there wasn’t enough room for more than one wheelchair on individual light rail vehicles.

Furthermore, the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition alleged that drivers weren’t taught to ask people using the ADA space to make room for mobility-impaired passengers.

In the settlement, RTD agrees to bring 172 light rail vehicles up to code over the next five years. Additionally, the next 29 light rail vehicles will be ADA compliant and have flooring that has the International Symbol of Accessibility.

As for the operators, RTD has also agreed to “mandatory refresher training on the Americans with Disabilities Act” every year.

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