ACAT Meeting - February 28, 2013

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.

Nil.

On motion by Sam Savona and seconded by Debbie Gillespie, ACAT reviewed and approved the agenda with the following amendment:

• Item #11: Wheel-Trans Audit Recommendations – Update was moved to Item #7, prior to Subcommittee Reports and Updates

On motion by Craig Nicol and seconded by Valdo Tammark, ACAT reviewed and approved the minutes with the following amendments:

• Pg 11, Item 15, pp 5. Remove the last sentence and replace with, "It is the Operator's responsibility to inform customers about this Bylaw."
• Pg 12, Item 17, pp 1. Revise "Based on a response from Vince Rodo, Chief Financial and Administration Officer, ACAT members..." to "Based on a request from members of ACAT, Vince Rodo, Chief Financial and Administration Officer, advised that ACAT members..."

Sam Savona requested an update on the "Fair Fares" issue which was discussed by the TTC Board in the fall and sent to staff for a report. Tom McPherson advised ACAT that staff will report on this issue at a later date.

Angela Marley reviewed the ACAT Outstanding Items list and provided the following updates:

• Station Pages is in progress with the Communications Subcommittee
• PRESTO Accessibility Features is ongoing with the Design Review Subcommittee
•  Priority Seating is ongoing with the Communications Subcommittee
• Roncesvalles Streetcar Platforms requires more feedback
• Accessibility at Bus Stops for people with visual impairments is ongoing with the Design Review Subcommittee. Craig Nicol commented that the signage needs direction from staff. The item will be looked at by the Design Review Subcommittee, but it may need to be broken into more than one item and distributed to another subcommittee.
• Clarification between Priority Seating and Courtesy Seating is ongoing with the Communications Subcommittee
• Auditor General's Report was addressed in the current meeting

Nil.

Presented by Tom McPherson.

The Auditor General's Report – Review of Wheel-Trans Services was presented to ACAT at the January General meeting. Wheel-Trans Staff identified the issues that require ACAT advice, and assigned them to the appropriate Subcommittee.

The only issue that was raised was a question regarding the use of medical notes for Wheel Trans eligibility. This issue will be addressed in the next Wheel-Trans Operations Subcommittee meeting, after which a report will be written and provided to the TTC Audit Committee.

Regarding items that require advice from ACAT, most are ongoing and part of ACAT's ongoing advising process.

Service Planning Subcommittee (SPS)

The February 15, 2013 SPS meeting was cancelled because of a lack of quorum.

Angela Marley reminded all members to confirm their meeting attendance with staff.

The next meeting is scheduled for March 6, 2013.

Design Review Subcommittee (DRS) - Craig Nicol, Chair

A meeting was held on February 13, 2013 which covered the following items:

• Election of the DRS Chair.
• Staff provided an update on the Rocket Door Chimes, inter-car barriers and grab bars. DRS had met in Downsview to review these issues in January and provided feedback. DRS now awaits time lines and a response from Vehicle Engineering.
• DRS provided advice on the EA3 upgrade to King Station, specifically the access path via Commerce Court.
• DRS received an early stage presentation on EA3 upgrade of Sherbourne Station, providing advice on elevator placement and entry. DRS expects to see the Project Team back at 30% in the coming months, after investigating the foundations above the station.
• DRS reviewed ridership statistics for Old Mill Station and advised that a request to move the station up in the EA3 upgrade schedule was not warranted. Staff will compile this advice in their report back to the TTC Board.
  
  

Another meeting was held on February 20, 2013 which covered the following items:

• DRS received a TTC staff presentation on the work plan for PRESTO design and implementation. DRS requested information on TTC business requirements so that they may comment on any accessibility matters early in the process. DRS will be involved throughout the time line.
• DRS reviewed City plans for curb ramp design features at the alignment with the new streetcar accessible door, located at all streetcar stops. DRS previously sampled curb ramp materials and provided advice to the City and the City has made its selection. DRS approves of the materials and slopes of the ramps. The curb cuts will be installed on the Spadina route first, followed by Bathurst and Dundas.
• Following up on a deputation regarding noise levels in subway stations, DRS received and discussed a staff report on noise issues in stations and on trains. DRS asked that further investigation take place on the matter of noise impact on persons with hearing impairments before making a report back to ACAT and then to the deputant.
• DRS reviewed and updated the DRS Outstanding Items list.

The next meeting will be held on March 6, 2013.

Communications Subcommittee (CS)

No meeting.

Wheel-Trans Operations Subcommittee (WTOS)

No meeting.

A meeting was held on February 13, 2013. The meeting began with the introduction of Tim Rose to the panel, followed by an open discussion of specific customer service issues brought forward by the panel members.

Some issues raised were: communication during subway delays, changing the message about the elevator at St. George Station to include dates, some positive remarks about controlling traffic flow at Union Station, and other positive remarks regarding the recent closure between St. Andrew and Union (that staff were very good at advising alternate routes).

Bill Dawson made a presentation on the Service Planning Department, discussing data collection, their processes and procedures, and some of the areas they are tackling such as streetcar flow. It was followed by a Q&A session with panel members, including data collection practices for riders with disabilities.

Chris Upfold spoke about a report he was working on regarding the acceptance of strollers on TTC vehicles.  The CLP members agreed with the proposed recommendation to allow strollers to ride the TTC without limitations or any additional fare. The discussion was to educate Operators, to get them to understand that there are ways in accommodating strollers, buggies, mobility devices, etc. and to have patience when doing so.

There was a brief discussion about the new door chimes and low ceiling handholds on the Rocket Trains, with Mazin Aribi expressing some concerns about accessibility and height restrictions. Chris Upfold took these concerns seriously and will bring these concerns to the Design Review Subcommittee.

The panel then conducted a thorough review of the Customer Charter, which was announced today at 3:00 p.m. by TTC Chair Stintz. Some of the issues raised included the accessibility of the language, for whom the document is intended, and how it will be presented to riders. A positive discussion followed, with Tim Rose ensuring that accessibility remained one of the central focal points. TTC staff seemed very receptive to all feedback.

Tim Rose urges members to bring forward any concerns to be taken to the panel.

The next meeting is March 13, 2013 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at 1900 Yonge Street, and is not open to the public.

Angela Marley asked if the Customer Charter should have come back to ACAT in its final form for review. The Committee was informed that Mazin Aribi, the previous ACAT representative on the panel, brought ACAT's input for the Customer Charter back to the panel, and was incorporated into the Charter. It was not necessary that it come back through ACAT, as there is an ACAT representative working on the panel.

Craig Nicol asked if there were any rules devised for strollers on buses. There was a discussion about launching an awareness campaign for both staff and riders. Tim Rose will report back on this when there is more information.

Debbie Gillespie commented that the issue of fitting strollers, mobility devices and dogs, among other items, on a bus will only become more complicated as time goes on, including on the articulated buses. Ms. Gillespie suggested that ACAT or the Customer Liaison Panel develop guidelines for mitigating this issue prior to launching an awareness campaign.

Angela Marley read the response to the stroller issue from the February 25, 2013 Commission Meeting. In short, the debate comes down to helping customers understand that all TTC stakeholders, both customers and Operators, bear the responsibility of considering the benefits and disadvantages of public transit and respecting the needs of other customers. The TTC will help to influence customers to understand this and Operators will act on their discretion considering how many strollers/buggies/mobility devices are on board.

For the February 25, 2013 Commission Meeting, Howard Wax will bring forward any issues at the next ACAT General Meeting. At the current meeting, Angela Marley provided the highlights.

• TTC conducting bus stop and shelter map pilot on 94 Wellesley Route. The TTC is trying to organize bus stops to have a consistent information format. ACAT members were encouraged to check out the stops along this route and provide feedback.
• New second exit planning and consultation process. The TTC has developed a plan of how to work with communities to develop new second exits to subways.
• 2012 Report on TTC Accessibility. All members are encouraged to review the update on accessibility components on the TTC system.

Subsequent to the previous minutes, Angela Marley wrote a letter to the TTC Board supporting Mr. Alan Yule’s deputation of implementing the blue coloured priority seats.

Subsequent to the previous minutes, a letter was sent to the TTC Board requesting that PRESTO involve the Design Review Subcommittee in developing their equipment. PRESTO is now working with the Subcommittee.

Craig Nicol requested a report on the major elevator repair taking place at St. George Station. In the past, there have been major repairs at Bloor and Sheppard Stations on the Yonge Line. The Sheppard outage was hardly noticed because there were other elevators and customers were not getting stranded. St. George Station is the first in a string of stations to have this work done.

Mr. Nicol asked staff what measures are being taken to mitigate impact to accessibility as well as what has been learned from the installation of elevators and their time frames to impact future design to extend service life and require less refurbishment.

Adam Cohoon seconds this concern, requesting earlier notification of outages.

Sam Savona commented that he would like to see better communication about outages, perhaps on television or in a report by the TTC.

Ross Visconti advised that the issue of elevator outage communication is on the agenda for the next Communications Subcommittee meeting.

ACAT requests that staff invite the appropriate people to make a presentation on elevator refurbishment, outage procedures, and the possibility of mitigating future elevator outages.

Clarification on Bad Weather Policy and ACAT Cancellations

Adam Cohoon requested clarification on the bad weather policy and ACAT meetings. He suggested the possibility of cancelling ACAT meetings when the Wheel-Trans' Snow Contingency Plan is in effect, as this is when Wheel-Trans requests passengers to only take essential rides and it may not be possible for members who have planned to take conventional service to book rides on Wheel-Trans if they know that snow removal will be an issue.

Ross Visconti explained that the snow contingency plan is based on forecasts and, while Wheel-Trans encourages customers to cancel trips that are not essential, Wheel-Trans itself does not cancel booked rides. The only restriction is that rides will not be booked on the day of, unless they are emergencies. Because the snow contingency plan is based on a forecast and stays in place for 48 hours, it is not an effective way to determine if an ACAT meeting should be cancelled.

If ACAT meetings are cancelled, notification will be given 24 hours in advance, to all members and deputants via phone or email, and across public venues. This applies to unforeseen issues as well, as when an ACAT meeting was cancelled in November due to an elevator outage.

Signs at Automatic Doors with Directions to the Collector’s Booth

For customers arriving at automatic entrances to subway stations and who need to pay their fare to the Collector, it was suggested that signage be posted at the automatic entrances giving directions to the location of the Collector's Booth.  After some discussion, this item was referred to the Communications Subcommittee.

Reminder of ACAT Terms of Reference

Angela Marley reminded ACAT members to review the Terms of Reference, specifically with regard to acceptable reasons for missing meetings.

Accessible Bus Stops on Route Lists

Craig Nicol brought forward the issue that the listing of accessible stops on routes is not being updated on the website.

This item was referred to the Service Planning Subcommittee for information gathering, after which it will be sent to the Communications Subcommittee to update the information on the website.

Wheel-Trans CommunityLink Newsletter Electronic Availability

Valdo Tammark brought forward the suggestion of making the Wheel-Trans CommunityLink newsletter be available in electronic copy to reduce printing and mailing costs.

This item was referred to the Communications Subcommittee to begin compiling a mailing list of people who would want the electronic version.

The next meeting of ACAT will be held on Thursday, March 28, 2013, in the 7th Floor Boardroom, 1900 Yonge Street.

On motion by Tim Rose and seconded by Lori March, the meeting was adjourned at 2:55 p.m.

Janet Wright
Recording Secretary