When the landmark legislation was signed in 1990, TriMet was well on our way to becoming one of the most accessible transit systems in the country
Earlier this month, when TriMet’s “MAX Train 101” was loaded onto an oversized flatbed trailer and hauled down to the Oregon Electric Railway Museum’s permanent collection in Brooks, Oregon, it marked the beginning of the end of an era.
For people in the region’s disability community, the farewell was more than nostalgic. It was liberating.
Back in 1986, when TriMet’s first MAX trains rolled into service, the new light rail system had all the bells and whistles: shiny train cars, newly laid track, an all-electric overhead power system and a smooth, stress-free ride between Downtown Portland and Gresham.
People with disabilities had long relied on TriMet’s buses to get around. They wanted access to this new form of public transportation, too. But something was missing. The trains were not accessible, especially for people who used wheelchairs. Boarding required climbing stairs!
Accessibility challenges everywhere
By the time MAX was coming around, Jan Campbell had had enough with stairs. Bound to a wheelchair since age two due to a spinal condition, Campbell recalls having to ask people at Portland State University to carry her – and her wheelchair – up the stairs, just so she could attend class.
The world, at that time, including here in Portland, was not built for people with disabilities. But TriMet’s light rail system ultimately was, thanks to Campbell and the agency’s Committee on Accessible Transportation, which she helped form in 1984. The group was tasked with giving TriMet input on topics related to accessibility. Their first action called for wayside lifts to be built on platforms along the future MAX line, so that people in wheelchairs could access it, too.
“My vision has and always continues to be — systems change — so that persons with disabilities can live to their fullest potential and have a better life,” said Campbell.
1990 signing ceremony
In the years that followed, the fight for equal rights reached Washington, D.C. and the White House. On July 26, 1990, President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act, creating the world’s first comprehensive civil rights law for people with disabilities. The landmark legislation prohibited discrimination in areas including employment, public services and transportation.
By that time, TriMet had already recognized the need to make accessible features standardized across our transit system. At TriMet, we have always considered the ADA an excellent starting point, but we have never stopped striving for more.
“From the earliest days of our agency, TriMet understood that public transportation isn’t truly public if it isn’t accessible to all,” said TriMet General Manager Sam Desue Jr. “We knew that for many in our region — older adults, people with disabilities, and those with non-apparent conditions — transit is more than a ride. It’s a lifeline to independence, employment, education, health care and community. It’s a connection to opportunity.”
Second-generation MAX makes ADA history
TriMet’s MAX system made history again in the 1990s, when, once again guided by the Committee on Accessible Transportation, TriMet’s leaders decided on low-floor light rail vehicles for the west side extension to Hillsboro. At the time, only systems in Europe offered riders the convenience of simply rolling on board.
TriMet’s decision for the early adoption of low-floor light rail vehicles is considered to be one of our greatest contributions to accessible transit, not only in Portland but all over North America. Our low-floor trains – the nation’s first – rolled into service in 1997.
More than 30 years since the low-floor cars made history, TriMet continues to expand our accessibility initiatives with bold initiatives, informed by and achieved with valuable insight from the Committee on Accessible Transportation.
Learn more about TriMet’s accessible fixed-route and LIFT paratransit services at trimet.org/access.
