According to current proposals, some of those stations could be anywhere from 120 feet deep to 85 feet up in the air. This will also play a big role in the upcoming expansions to the light rail system, with stations in Ballard and West Seattle. That's an important part of the puzzle, because once that information is easily accessible, riders can know immediately where to get on or off based on what sort of option they need to enter or exit a station. "A new hardware and software solution that's installed on the equipment that has given us live updates right now about how the equipment is doing, how is the ride quality, how many trips has it taken that day? When is it most in use? Two o'clock in the afternoon versus 6 a.m.? And also, the number one thing is - is it running or is it not running?" "We have a pilot program going on right now at Beacon Hill," Carini explained. John Carini, deputy director of Vertical Conveyances, said Sound Transit is working on a plan to be able to monitor the status of elevators and escalators in real time. Many people who don't rely on mobility aids to get around in their daily lives can generally overcome obstacles like an out-of-service escalator, but when you need the elevator to get out of an underground light rail system, outages make spontaneous trips that much more difficult. "So, if the mall had been closed, we probably would have had to extend our trip even further for many trial and errors, or maybe had to have turned back and if we hadn't found a way out." We managed to find our way out first having to go through the second floor of Westlake and of course visiting the candy store. "We found an additional elevator that was working, but it only took us into the Nordstrom that's at the base of Westlake. So, we were trying to find a different way to get out onto the street. "We managed to get the elevator to the mezzanine level, but then the next elevator out into the street level was boarded up and inaccessible. "I actually traveled to Westlake Center with my daughter who uses a wheelchair several years back," Caspi explained. Anat Caspi, director of the University of Washington's Taksar Center for Accessible Technology, is acutely aware of how a hiccup with an elevator can lead to an "adventure" trying to exit the light rail station.
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