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Form Revised: June 06
TORONTO TRANSIT COMMISSION
TO Commissioners
FROM Gary Webster
MEETING DATE May 8, 2007
SUBJECT Staff Response to Commission Inquiry – Signage
and Wayfinding at the TTC
BACKGROUND
At its meeting of January 31, 2007, the Commission
moved that staff report back on issues raised in Mr. Clark’s deputation,
including an update on the comprehensive study previously undertaken by
the TTC on signage and wayfinding. In
addition, the Commission also moved that staff include in their report the
rationale for no longer using escalator signage indicating “Stand Right – Walk
Left”.
DISCUSSION
In reference to the signage and
wayfinding study, at its meeting of December 4, 1990,
the Commission approved the contract award to the successful proponent Paul Arthur
Visucom Limited, specialists
in the development of wayfinding systems. Visucom Limited was selected to conduct a wayfinding study of
directional and information signage in two stations; examine existing Commission
signage policies; review recent developments in signage display and wayfinding
systems; apply findings generally throughout the system; and, respond to the
needs of people with disabilities.
At the March 2, 1993 meeting, following the completion
of the wayfinding study, the Commission approved forwarding the request to conduct a prototype test of a new rapid transit wayfinding
signage system at St George Station, to the Municipality of
Metropolitan Toronto for approval and financing, and to the Ministry of
Transportation (MTO) for approval in principle.
Subject to
receiving the above approvals, a contract amendment was to be issued to retain Visucom Limited to carry out this phase of the
project. Project approval was received in May 1993.
Following the installation of the test signage at St
George Station in the fall of 1993, research was conducted to measure the
effectiveness of the prototype wayfinding signage system as compared to the
current system. Staff reported to the Executive Committee, key findings of the research which indicated that
while there were few significant differences in the results between current and
prototype signage, there were elements in the prototype signage that would
assist riders in their use of the system.
It was,
therefore, recommended and approved by the Executive Committee that Staff was requested to finalize the design details and to
incorporate the findings into the TTC’s Signage Manual that was being developed for the Sheppard line project. Staff have arranged for the removal of any
remaining prototype wayfinding signage at St George Station.
Signage
The current TTC wayfinding signage standards were
developed with consideration of what was successful in other systems (including
the Paul Arthur test), and with regard to government regulated accessibility
requirements and Ontario Building Code compliance.
Currently there is no program dedicated solely to a
retrofit of all wayfinding signage on a system-wide level. Instead, signage
upgrades are embedded into individual capital projects. The application of new
signage standards is frequently associated with elevator installations, second
exits, fire ventilation upgrades, etc., and is typically not funded to extend
past the scope related to the particular project. The result is that a variety
of signage styles may continue to co-exist within one station; a constraint
imposed by the available budget.
More recently, a station modernization program was
developed, with plans to upgrade one station per year, beginning with the
Bloor-Danforth Subway. Part of the modernization program is to replace all
wayfinding and station identification signage within each station.
Fonts
The historical TTC font, referred to internally as the
‘Station’ font, appears mainly at subway platform level and is now limited to
the identification of station names. This is a more decorative, graphic style
font, containing only upper case letters, and is, therefore, not suitable for
general use. Swiss 721 Medium Bold Text is a licensed font, with more neutral
and contemporary characteristics. It was selected as the base font for reasons
of clarity and legibility, and is intended for use in all wayfinding,
information and safety signage applications.
Handmade Signage and Clutter at
Collector Booths
In response to Station Collector feedback, a standard
package of signs was prepared and distributed to each booth. Employees are
encouraged to submit any signage requests for review and possible inclusion
into the standard package of signs. Handmade
signage is not condoned as it can add clutter to the Collector booths and is
removed when seen by Supervisory Staff.
Staff will undertake a review of the signage currently
at Collector booths in order to determine what improvements can be made to
simplify the information that is being presented to our customers.
Station domination advertising consisting of traditional print posters
and the application of vinyl on non-traditional media forms such as columns,
wall scapes, floor areas, etc., was tested in the Summer 2000 for a three month
trial. It was evaluated on the basis of customer surveys, maintenance and
operational assessments, and sales information. At the meeting of November 22, 2000,
the Commission approved the rollout of the program. Vinyl is applied in locations
to avoid conflict with wayfinding signage. The advertising contract contributes
significant revenue to the TTC and is used to offset operating costs.
Escalator Decals
The removal of “Stand Right – Walk Left” decals located on escalators, is
meant to reflect a greater focus on public safety. The vast majority of all
escalator-related incidents are attributed to rider-related error. The safest way to ride an escalator is to
hold the handrail and remain stationary to eliminate the risk of tripping or falling. This practice is supported by the Technical
Standards & Safety Authority (TSSA), a group responsible for regulating
escalator safety in Ontario.
Interim Chief General Manager
3.64.64