MEETING DATE: February 25, 2004

SUBJECT: ACCESSIBLE TRANSIT SERVICE PLAN –

YEAR-END 2003 STATUS REPORT

It is recommended that the Commission:

1. Receive this report, and the attached status report, for information noting that:

• the TTC is in the midst of a long-term, systematic program to maintain and improve system accessibility, including the provision of Wheel-Trans specialized services, the purchase of accessible conventional buses, the installation of elevators and accessibility features at subway stations, and the provision of passenger information;

• much progress has been made in making the TTC's system more accessible over the past 15 years and, at current funding levels, 40% of the subway and RT stations will be accessible by 2007, and 100% of the conventional bus service will be fully accessible by the end of 2012;

• there are challenges in making the existing streetcar system accessible;

• the rate at which the TTC system can be made accessible depends to a large degree on the rate at which funding is provided by governments for these initiatives;

• staff is undertaking a study to confirm engineering feasibility, and set station priorities, for the installation of elevators and other accessibility features, at the remaining 60% of the subway and Scarborough RT stations, although there is no funding approval for these improvements;

• the Advisory Committee on Accessible Transportation (ACAT) continues to be an integral part of the TTC's planning and design process with respect to accessibility issues;

• staff will make this report publicly available in compliance with the requirements of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001; and

2. Forward this report to Toronto City Council, the Ontario Ministries of Citizenship and Immigration, Transportation, and Public Infrastructure Renewal, and the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

This report has no effect on the TTC's operating or capital budgets. Funding for the accessibility improvements that are identified in the report as being committed are already included in the TTC's budgets.

The TTC has a long-term program for making its services accessible to all people, including people with mobility difficulties. The attached report provides a status update, to the end of 2003, on the progress made in implementing the program, and describes the TTC's future plans for improving system accessibility.

The TTC has had a formal program for improving system accessibility since 1989 when the Commission adopted the recommendations of the Choices for the Future report. The program has been adjusted periodically to respond to changing conditions, as reported in the Making Transit More Accessible report in 1994 and the Accessible Transit Services Plan in 1997. The current report describes the status of ongoing activities at the TTC to achieve the objectives established in those previous studies regarding improved system accessibility. The report reflects the advice and input received from the Commission's Advisory Committee on Accessible Transportation (ACAT). They have actively participated in establishing the elements of the TTC's accessibility program.

The Province of Ontario's Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 (ODA) requires that transit properties produce an annual plan documenting actions taken and future plans to improve system accessibility. The attached report provides this information, and goes beyond the ODA's one-year-plan requirements by describing the TTC's long-term commitment to accessibility improvements.

The TTC provides a range of services that are progressively becoming more accessible to people with mobility difficulties. Wheel-Trans provides "to-the-door" service for 30,000 registrants who have restricted physical mobility. The accessibility of the TTC's conventional services is being improved through programs to install elevators and other accessibility features in stations, and to buy accessible buses to replace older non-accessible models. The TTC has also developed programs for training front-line personnel on accessibility issues and to communicate with passengers about the accessible features and services that are available.

All passengers benefit from the provision of elevators, escalators, low-floor buses, and other access features in the conventional system, but these features are particularly important for the people in Toronto who have a disability which affects their use of the TTC. In addition, accessible conventional services provide some Wheel-Trans registrants with the opportunity for more spontaneous trip-making.

The rate at which TTC services can be made accessible is highly dependent on the level of funding provided by governments for accessibility initiatives. Currently, 25% of the TTC's conventional bus fleet is accessible and 20 of the TTC's 69 subway and RT stations are equipped with elevators and accessibility features including the entire Sheppard Subway line. The TTC's 2004-2013 Capital Budget Program includes $2.0 billion in expenditures that will improve accessible services. The program includes:

• the purchase of 1,380 low-floor buses to replace existing buses so that the entire bus fleet will be accessible by the end of 2012;
• the purchase of 232 accessible subway cars;
• installing elevators and accessibility features in 9 additional subway stations so that 40% of the stations in the system will be accessible by 2007; and
• replacing and expanding the Wheel-Trans fleet through the purchase of 158 vehicles by 2010.

Staff have recommended that the remaining 40 subway and Scarborough RT stations in the system be made accessible at a cost of $230 million, but currently there is no funding approved for this.

The TTC is also undertaking a range of low-cost initiatives to improve system accessibility, including:

• the implementation of standards for the design and construction of all future facilities to ensure they are accessible. These standards were used in the design and construction of the Sheppard Subway.
• taking advantage of direct connections to stations to accelerate the installation of elevators; and
• providing improved information to passengers to encourage use of the accessible services that are available.

The program of accessibility improvements underway at the TTC, which is described in detail in the attached report, has been developed with the benefit of extensive consultation and assistance from people in the disabled community. The Advisory Committee on Accessible Transportation (ACAT) has provided the TTC with expert knowledge and experience with respect to mobility issues. It can be a complex task to accommodate the many possible types of mobility limitations and members of the disabled community have been invaluable in helping to identify practical solutions that accommodate these needs. Consultative input will remain central to the TTC's ongoing efforts to improve system accessibility.

The TTC is committed to making its services accessible to better meet the needs of seniors and people with disabilities, and has established a systematic program to ensure that this is accomplished in a cost-effective and timely way. The rate of progress towards this objective is largely dependent on the level of funding provided by governments.

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February 25, 2004

11-55-47

Attachment: Accessible Transit Service Plan – Year-End 2003 Status Report