Settlement Agreement with Ventura County Transportation Commission for ADA Compliance
SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT
UNDER THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT
BETWEEN
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
AND
THE VENTURA COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION (VCTC)
DJ # 204-12C-493, USAO # 2018V00600
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The United States Attorney’s Office (“USAO”) for the Central District of California initiated an investigation of VCTC, which is responsible for the Camarillo intercity rail station (“Station”), for its compliance with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”), 42 U.S.C. § 12131–12165, and its implementing regulations, 28 C.F.R. Part 35; 49 C.F.R. Parts 37 and 38 (Department of Transportation (“DOT”) regulations). Pursuant to this investigation, the USAO reviewed available information about the Station. The USAO investigation revealed that VCTC has failed to make the Station, for which it is responsible, readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities, including individuals who use wheelchairs. A Settlement Agreement was reached with VCTC as a result of this investigation.
The Station is located at 30 Lewis Road, Camarillo, California 93010, and serves passengers using both Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner from San Luis Obispo to San Diego and Metrolink's Ventura County Line from Los Angeles Union Station to east Ventura.
When the USAO reviewed available information about the Station, it identified the following discrepancies:
Inaccessible routes from the public right-of-way, from public transit, from accessible parking, and from the passenger loading zone due to gaps and gratings, abrupt elevation changes, excessive slopes, lack of detectable warnings at pedestrian/vehicular transition areas, and/or an unmarked access aisle in the passenger loading zone.
Lack of detectable warnings for curb ramps.
Inadequate landing size for the East side platform ramp from accessible parking.
Lack of accessible tactile Station identification signage.
Lack of accessible visual signage where lists of stations, routes, or destinations served by the Station are provided and where other informational or directional signs are provided, among other accessibility concerns.
Based on its review of the Station, the United States has concluded that VCTC was not in compliance with Title II of the ADA by failing to operate the Station so that the services at the Station, when viewed in their entirety, were readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.
SUMMARY: The Ventura County Transportation Commission was found in non-compliance with the ADA laws at the Station located at 30 Lewis Road, Camarillo, CA 93010. This settlement agreement could have been prevented had the VCTC been pro-active about ADA compliance.
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