ACAT Meeting - October 29, 2015

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.

The meeting was called to order at 1:04 p.m. and attendance was taken.

Nil.

On a motion by Tim Rose and seconded by Howard Wax, the agenda was approved with an amendment that Item No. 11 be heard just prior to the Deputation.

On motion by Sam Savona and seconded by Bobbi Moore, the Minutes of September 24, 2015 were approved with amendments.

•Karma Burkhar was in attendance. Her name should be added to the cover page. As well, pool members are not listed. James Bartlett should be listed as a pool member.

•Page 3, last sentence of Robert Muzzy's deputation should read "new accessible streetcars." Also, "cancellation" should read "same day cancellation."

•Page 4: Greg Contaxis' deputation, second paragraph, should read, "The concern raised concerning the 'new accessible streetcars'."

•Page 6: Rather than "shield door", it should read "driver compartment door on buses." Fifth paragraph, first line should read "subway doors opening on the left or right side."

•Page 7, second paragraph, the new style guide has been reviewed by the Communications Subcommittee, not Service Planning.

•Page 7, fifth paragraph, first sentence: Rather than simply "elevator", it should read "Eglinton subway platform elevator."

•Page 9, second paragraph, should read, "A concern was expressed regarding the length of time it has taken to affect a change with respect to the TR subway map legends."

•Item: PRESTO Accessibility Features - has an update to be provided in the DRS Report. Also, an update for the status of the rollout has been requested by Matt Hagg and will be provided in November or December.

•Item: Accessibility Flash Cards - Marian McDonell suggested that the Blue Flash Cards and the Travel Assistance Cards, for people with invisible disabilities who require Operator assistance, be separated on the list as they are two separate items and ACAT Chair Mazin Aribi agreed. A mock-up of the new travel assistance card will be brought to the Communications Subcommittee for its input in November.

•Item: Service Dogs on Contracted Taxi Services - has been completed and will be removed from the list for the next meeting.

Shaun Cleaver and Milan Gokhale of TTCriders’ organization attended to inform the TTC Board of their request for the Province of Ontario and the City of Toronto to allocate the necessary $240-million in funds immediately in order to make conventional TTC services accessible. They feel that the funding should be independent of the TTC operating subsidy. As a group, they recognize the importance of accessibility for all and are seeking ACAT’s feedback.
ACAT thanked the deputants and acknowledged their efforts.

Design Review Subcommittee (DRS) – Craig Nicol, Chair

In October, DRS had one meeting and one field trip.

• October 7, 2015 Meeting

Chester Subway Station Easier Access 3 (EA3) Upgrade

This station has been advanced in the EA3 process to combine work with the installation of a second exit. There will be two forward motion elevators direct from platform to street, an easier access fare gate and power sliding doors. DRS recommended that the elevator alcoves have the corner angled whenever possible.

Update of DRS Outstanding List

- PRESTO payment device on Orion 7 buses meeting to be held.

- Express Bus stop announcement upgrade, the provision of an "arriving at" message will proceed slowly due to the amount of reprogramming required.

Other Items / New Business

DRS members related concern about the difficulty paying a fare on new streetcars without the use of a PRESTO card when the streetcar is crowded. Staff stated that additional Single Ride Vending (SRVM) machines on platforms and greater uptake of PRESTO cards should reduce this difficulty. DRS suggested decals at the second and third doors indicating the location of the PRESTO SRVM.

• October 21, 2015 Meeting / Field Trip

ACAT and DRS members attended at the Wilson Yard to review the location for PRESTO payment devices on Orion 7 buses. This meeting was required to address PRESTO device placement difficulties highlighted in an earlier DRS review of this bus.

The next DRS meeting is scheduled for November 13, 2015.

Wheel-Trans Operations Subcommittee (WTOS) – Sam Savona, Chair

The last WTOS meeting was held on October 5, 2015.

This was a special meeting to focus on the eligibility for Wheel-Trans service and to review the preliminary recommendations from the consultants, WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff (WSPPB). There was considerable discussion around the potential model for eligibility for Wheel-Trans that needs to be in place by January 1, 2017. The new model will encompass all persons with disabilities, not just those with physical disabilities, and will determine whether a person is eligible for unconditional, conditional or temporary eligibility.

WSPPB recommended a self-screening process followed by the completion of an application; and then, if appropriate, a functional assessment would be conducted by a qualified medical professional. The primary goal of the assessment is to determine the eligibility of a rider to use conventional accessible transit.

The consultants also suggested that the introduction of a cognitive assessment be immediately addressed. Mandated travel training was also discussed. It was agreed that the WSPPB consultants return to flesh out more details with respect to the self-screening process as well as the functional assessments based on the industry standard, which is known as FACTS.

 

Two sets of previous minutes were approved.

The new scheduling/customer management software will be implemented to determine the best routes and accessibility needs of riders in the future. More spontaneous rides could be achieved by this software.

Service Planning Subcommittee (SPS) – Valdo Tammark, Chair

SPS held a meeting on October 15, 2015.

Emily Assunção, Manager of Closures and Diversions, attended the meeting. Raymond Dell’Aera and Mazin Aribi described shortcomings of the last subway closure. Ms. Assunção reported that all the materials and staff have been set up for closures. She will report back to the Station Managers and go over the shortcomings with them. She appreciated the testing of the system and hoped that continued cooperation would improve for impending closures.

Mary Leo-Oliver, TTC Customer Communications, and Jacqueline Darwood, TTC Service Planning, attended and provided a debriefing of the TTC Public Forum. The new venue received a vote of best ever.

Many people arrived around 5:00 p.m. and expected a snack bar to be available. In the future, this will not happen because future advertising will highlight that no food will be available. Chairs will be provided to the marketplace so that staff can sit down and converse comfortably with someone using a mobility device. This will ensure more eye-to-eye contact.

There were some complaints about the facilitator not going in sequence around the room and jumping back and forth. A discussion with the facilitator is necessary to prevent the situation from reoccurring in upcoming forums.

There will be a waiting area with chairs for early arrivals so that they do not block the technical people and set-up personnel. Wheel-Trans felt that, upon exit, there was some confusion and things did not go as smoothly as hoped. Plans to improve departure are underway by providing barriers, better signage, and colour queues.

Two of the Blue Night bus stops outside Warden Station have been changed to be both day and night stops so that people with mobility devices can transfer to other buses without having to go into the station. The question of whether shelters will be available at those stops remains outstanding. Matt Hagg indicated that the shelters are the responsibility of the City of Toronto as they are deemed street furniture.

The Chair requested that anyone travelling during the subway closures report back at the next monthly meeting. Any issue should first be reported to Customer Service and then to Service Planning.

Communications Subcommittee (CS) – Marian McDonell, Chair

The Communications Subcommittee (CS) meeting planned for October 22, 2015 was postponed. The photo shoot of September 25, 2015 went well and there will be more information forthcoming.

The next meeting is scheduled for November 19, 2015.

 

•September 28, 2015 TTC Board Meeting

There were a few presentations, namely Toronto Transit Expansion Project status update, TO Prosperity Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy, and Fare Policy Principles.

There was a request to reinstate the Bathurst/Finch Community Bus. The TTC Board deferred this item to be brought back with the staff report being prepared on Wheel-Trans Community Bus accessibility services.

The Board received the ACAT’s approved minutes of June 25, 2015 and July 30, 2015.

•October 28, 2015 TTC Board Meeting

A status update on the Smart Track Project was given. The City is undertaking planning studies on Smart Track. The TTC Chair encourages ACAT members to attend public meetings to represent people with accessibility issues. Noticeably absent from the Smart Track presentation and the Bus Fleet and Facility Plan was the word “accessible”.

The TTC Board discussed the impact of the delay in delivery of the new low-floor streetcars. The further delay in receiving the new streetcars impacts customers’ accessibility to the TTC streetcar network. The TTC Board authorized the TTC General Counsel to commence a claim against Bombardier for all damages sustained.

The TTC Board received the ACAT approved minutes for August 27, 2015.

CLP met on the October 14, 2015 with a full committee of 12 members. The Customer Satisfaction Survey for Quarter 4 was discussed. A large part of the discussion was about accessibility.
The next meeting of the Customer Liaison Panel is planned for November 11, 2015.

There was no meeting held in October.
It was indicated that the TTCriders’ representatives are part of the advisory group and information was shared.
On a motion by Tim Rose and seconded by Howard Wax, the ACAT Executive is to send a letter to the TTC Board expressing concerns with regard to a fare increase. Sam Savona abstained.

Ian Dickson, Manager - Design & Wayfinding, proposed that all Wayfinding issues be consolidated to one Subcommittee, rather than between the Communications Subcommittee and the Design Review Subcommittee. Maps, signs, some notices, and demarcation of bus bays should be under the umbrella of the Wayfinding system. It is hoped that the redundancy in two Subcommittees will be eliminated.
It was determined that the Communications Subcommittee should consult on what is written, what the message is, and the Design Review Subcommittee should be consulted for issues regarding placement in the facility. In the case where issues overlap and affect both Subcommittees, a joint meeting can be held.

Nil.

There was a request from Valdo Tammark to amend the current Terms of Reference, which generated some interest. This topic needs to be further discussed and will be deferred until early 2016.<

There was an incident at Union Station where a person using a mobility device got stuck in the gap on the subway platform. This item will be added to DRS for the next meeting. Craig Nicol suggested it would be a good idea to have a video available for boarding and exiting subways as well as buses. Marian McDonell agrees to add this item to the Communications Subcommittee agenda.<

The next meeting of ACAT will be held on Thursday, November 26, 2015, from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. at 1900 Yonge Street, 7th Floor Boardroom.

The meeting was adjourned at 3:30 p.m.
Alex Walker
Recording Secretary