Canadian transit agencies continue to enhance transit accessibility for persons with disabilities

Dec. 3 marked the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, with the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) and the Société de transport de Laval (STL) both announcing initiatives to improve transit accessibility for persons with disabilities.

CTA is launching a second phase of consultations on regulatory reform in the area of accessible transportation. These consultations will focus on:

• How to apply Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations (ATPDR) provisions to small transportation providers, with adjustments to reflect their unique operating realities;
• Whether or not to apply the One Person, One Fare (1p1f) requirement to international travel and to small transportation providers;
• What, if anything, to require of transportation providers with respect to Emotional Support Animals and service animals other than dogs; and
• Planning and reporting frameworks for transportation providers, pursuant to the Accessible Canada Act, which came into force on July 11, 2019.

"The first phase of ATPDR development helped advance our vision of making Canada's national transportation system the most accessible in the world,” said Scott Streiner, chair and CEO, CTA. “We are now moving forward with phase II and look forward to receiving input from a wide range of stakeholders, experts and interested Canadians. Together, we can help ensure that the fundamental right of persons with disabilities to accessible transportation is realized in practice."

The CTA is interested in broad input from its Accessibility Advisory Committee, disability community organizations, the transportation industry and members of the public. Any interested party can consult the CTA's consultation paper and provide written submissions by email at [email protected] until Feb. 7, 2020. All submissions will be considered public documents and will be posted on the CTA's website unless a party asks the CTA not to release certain confidential information.

The proposed regulations will be drafted and pre-published in Canada Gazette I after the consultations have been completed and all input has been considered. There will be an opportunity to review and comment on draft regulations before they are finalized, approved by the CTA and Cabinet, and published in Canada Gazette II. The goal is to have regulations in place by summer 2021.

On July 10, 2019, the CTA announced that the first phase of regulatory reform in the area of accessible transportation, the new ATPDR, was finalized. The CTA consolidated its various accessibility instruments – six voluntary codes and two regulations – to create a single, robust, legally binding set of accessible transportation regulations. The ATPDR established legally binding requirements for transportation services, technical standards for equipment, communications, training and security and border screening. Most provisions of the regulations will come into effect on June 25, 2020. Several outstanding accessibility-related issues will be considered through this second phase of consultations and regulatory development.

STL improves bus stop accessibility

STL and the city of Laval have worked to improve accessibility to 185 bus stops on its regular network. These improvements made accessible or increased accessibility conditions for more than 15 percent of stops in service along the transit authority's 15 routes. A total of 481 bus stops are now fully accessible in addition to another 363 accessible stops for which assistance is advised. This includes cases where the access ramp slope is steeper because of the roadway and/or sidewalk design. Overall, more than three out of four stops on those 15 routes are accessible.

"We are well aware that there are still not enough accessible bus stops in Laval, and that's why we've redoubled efforts in the past few years," said Éric Morasse, chairman of the board, STL. "The work completed in just two years—in just two construction seasons, in fact—is proof of how seriously we are committed to improving accessibility of all of our services."

The work completed in 2018–19 mainly involved creating or enlarging waiting areas, replacing or adding bus shelters and coordinating sidewalk repairs with the city. The improvements mean that boarding and exiting buses is now easier, while paths to buses and waiting areas are safer and easier for users to move around in. The boarding/landing zone at each stop is also easier for bus drivers to see.

These improvements, at the cost of C$500,000 (US$377,985), were made possible by the funding up to 90 percent from Canada and Quebec' governments in the implementation of the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund (PTIF). STL covered the remaining 10 percent.

“This process may appear simple, but it requires multiple actions, cooperation and consensus-building, not only by the STL but also with the city of Laval,” Morasse said. “Smart land-use planning in Laval is a challenge that we are determined to address over the long term."

Features of a fully accessible bus stop include:

• Optimum access ramp slope – The height of the stop zone (sidewalk) is approximately 15 cm (5.9 in), reducing the slope to 10 percent or less.
• Maneuverability with an assistive mobility device (wheelchair, three-wheeled or four-wheeled scooter) – The depth of the stop zone is at least 2.1 m (6.9 feet).
• Safe waiting area – There is a bus shelter or concrete pad adjacent to the sidewalk.
• Safe, obstacle-free path to the stop – For example, access to the boarding zone is made easier, notably via a paved curb cut.

Criteria used to select stops for improvement included:

• Stops on the network's new accessible routes were given priority;
• Geographical distribution across the entire Laval territory;
• How busy is the stop; and
• Complexity and constraints (overall feasibility; municipal right-of-way or private land requiring owner agreement).

This initiative was rolled out as part of the STL's 2017–2021 public transit accessibility development plan, which includes a series of small- and large-scale measures covering all aspects of accessibility, from a redesign of the STL website (scheduled to go live in spring 2020) to introduction of interior display units with audio announcements in all buses, the addition of at least two accessible routes per year and the maintaining of ongoing dialogue with groups representing persons with disabilities in Laval. In addition, since 2014, all new buses added to the STL fleet have been equipped with access ramps and appropriate interior layouts.