ACAT Meeting - August 25, 2011

Agenda is not available for this meeting.
Please check the meeting minutes for meeting details.

Agenda is not available for this meeting.
Please check the meeting minutes for meeting details.

Agenda is not available for this meeting.
Please check the meeting minutes for meeting details.

Agenda is not available for this meeting.
Please check the meeting minutes for meeting details.

Sam Savona, Chair, called the meeting to order at 1:00 p.m. and attendance was taken.

Nil.

On motion of Howard Wax and seconded by Carol Anne Monet, ACAT approved the agenda.

On motion of Mazin Aribi and seconded by Howard Wax, ACAT approved the minutes of July 28, 2011.

a) Station Lay-Outs

Bill Frost informed the members that Craig Nicol met with representatives of the Marketing Department where he provided guidelines for the creation of the Station Page templates.

Action:

Craig Nicol’s recommendations were well received by Marketing, and work on the pages will proceed with the inclusion of accessibility standards.

b) Stair Riser Advertising on the TTC

After review by the Design Review Subcommittee, it was determined that this item requires further study.

c) Bus Stops Inaccessible due to Street Furniture

Action:

No action at this time.

Roya Rezaee did not attend.

Design Review Subcommittee (DRS)

Craig Nicol updated the members on the developments of the Subcommittee. In response to matters raised by the DRS, staff will meet with Waterfront Toronto to discuss safety improvements for pedestrians accessing the platforms for the Queen’s Quay Legacy streetcars. The prototype for the new Legacy streetcar will be available for viewing in Toronto in September.

Members advised against escalating the Easier Access Phase 3 (EA3) upgrades to Keele Station based on a decline of ridership. St. Clair West Station’s EA3 upgrades were reviewed.

A presentation will be made to ACAT updating them on the conversion of the SRT to the new LRT in the near future.

Information on standards and practices was provided to staff regarding accessible bus bay signage at bus terminals.

Members provided advice on the PRESTO fare card.

The Subcommittee has requested that they be consulted on design for the New Subway Train Chimes and on Stop Announcements on Express Bus Services to provide the announcement closer to the intended stop.

Service Planning Subcommittee (SPS)

Anna Noviss presented the report from the Service Planning Subcommittee of August 3, 2011 that was previously distributed to the members.

Bill Dawson informed the members that the prototype for the Legacy Streetcar is built and is expected to be in Toronto in the fall. A delivery date will be firmed up in September.

Wheel-Trans Operations Subcommittee

As per Dorothy Creaser, there are no updates as there have been no meetings held.

Administration Subcommittee

Sam Savona informed the members that the ACAT Executive meeting with Karen Stintz has been moved to September 7, 2011 at 1:00 p.m.

ACAT Terms of Reference

Anna Noviss and Dorothy Creaser reviewed the Terms of Reference and presented their comments.

It was determined that the newly revised Terms of Reference would be effective January 2012.

Members discussed the amendments to the Terms of Reference as recommended by the Administration Subcommittee including the elimination of the Ex-Officio position.

On motion of Dorothy Creaser and seconded by Anna Noviss, the members approved reinstating the position of ex-officio in the ACAT terms of reference.

On motion of Howard Wax, seconded by Dorothy Creaser, it was decided by majority to schedule an all day meeting at the earliest convenience to discuss the ACAT terms of reference and guidelines.

It was requested that copies of the current and proposed Terms of Reference and Guidelines be available upon request to all members prior to the meeting.

On motion of Dorothy Creaser, seconded by Anna Noviss, it was unanimously agreed that all ACAT policy and procedure documents be dated “approved by ACAT” and “approved by the Commission”.

Valdo Tammark discussed accessing bus schedules by “Rocket Radar” which is a new application that will tell you when the next TTC bus or streetcar will arrive where you are standing. Craig Nicol discussed the technology in other North American cities where schedule information is available by stop number which is posted in writing and Braille.

There was no scheduled Commission Meeting in August.

Nil.

Howard Wax discussed the Emergency Evacuation Protocol. Although it was previously recommended that the location of the ACAT meetings be moved to a more accessible location to facilitate emergency evacuation, the Committee is satisfied with the current safety procedures in place.

Action:

The Emergency Protocol for Fire Alarms at 1900 Yonge Street is to be included in the annual package for each Committee member.

Bill Frost made an official statement of apology for the recent delays in service. He advised members and guests that everything possible is being done to resolve the issues.

He provided background on the implementation of the new Scheduling System and its impact on all facets of operations especially Dispatch and Operations. These upgrades have been in development for the past two years.

The reasons for the needed upgrades were identified as follows:

1. Improve productivity,
2. Accommodate more customers. 

Although the new system was already in use in other Canadian cities, it was not able to duplicate the volume of trips provided by Wheel-Trans in a test environment. However, Wheel-Trans is working to resolve the issues that the system is currently experiencing.

1. Reservations: There were some changes to the internet and touchtone services. Limited testing of the system was carried out. However, it was impossible to simulate real life volume and situations. It should be noted that workers are on a learning curve but it is moving forward.
2. Dispatch: Learning curves are present, but are quickly being met, and system issues are being resolved. Familiarity with the processes will increase productivity and that efficiency, coupled with the resolution of system issues, will result in a more efficient Dispatch.

Bill Frost told the members that although the delays are not any more frequent than in previous months, the delays are longer. Again, it was highlighted that there are strategies in place to address these issues and better understand them.

Various questions were raised by the Committee regarding the current Internet Trip Booking as well as the touchtone phone services, RideLine. Bill Frost emphasized that the fundamental issues of functionality needs to be perfect before the finer issues could be addressed.

a) ACAT Contact at Wheel-Trans

Upon inquiry by the Committee regarding the current Wheel-Trans contact, Bill Frost informed the members that Janet O’Sullivan will be the liaison between Wheel-Trans and the members.

b) Budget

The Budget has been approved; however, it may need updating and amending.

On motion of Dorothy Creaser, seconded by Howard Wax, ACAT unanimously gave the administration subcommittee the authority to ACAT on behalf of the committee for budget purposes.

The next meeting of ACAT will be held on Thursday, September 29, 2011, in the 7th Floor Boardroom, 1900 Yonge Street.

On motion by Mazin Aribi, the meeting was adjourned at 3:00 p.m.

Dorothy Babik
Recording Secretary