ACAT Meeting - August 26, 2010

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.

Marian McDonell, Vice-Chair, called the meeting to order at 1.05 p.m. Roll call was taken.

Nil.

On motion of Bill Castor and seconded by Craig Nicol, ACAT approved the agenda.

On motion of Sam Savona and seconded by Carol Anne Monet, ACAT approved the minutes of July 29, 2010 with revisions.

Final copy of June 24, 2010 ACAT minutes will be redistributed to the members.

Dean Milton reviewed the list of Outstanding Items, August 2010, and provided updates.

TTC Customer Service Advisory Panel

Carol Anne Monet requested a copy of Susan Davidson’s and Mazin Aribi’s submission to the TTC Customer Service Advisory Panel.

Anna Noviss reported that the Service Planning Committee will review the Customer Service Panel report in September.

Bus Destination Messages

Carla Basso will distribute to the Communications Subcommittee the Marketing Standard Operating Procedures for review, once they are completed.

Public Forum

Bill Frost advised that he has reviewed the input obtained at the Public Forum and that the Commission will provide their feedback once they have had the opportunity to review the information. It was his understanding that the Commission appreciated recommendations that ACAT presented at the Forum. The Commission determined that they will be holding another Public Forum in 2011.

ACAT members discussed their future involvement in the Public Forum and mentioned their previous motion in the June 24 ACAT minutes: On motion of Sam Savona, the members unanimously recommended that ACAT take a leading role in the organization of the public forum each year.

Elaine Prescod was welcomed as a new member to ACAT.

a. Tom Robson made his deputation regarding TTC Customer Service and Accessibility issues. His concerns were:

• Difficulty accessing TTC and Wheel-Trans customer service reps, lack of follow up on passenger concerns.
• Lost items left on Wheel-Trans are sent to an inaccessible station.

Tom Robson requested that he be put on the agenda for an additional deputation at ACAT’s September meeting.

b. Beverly Smith made her deputation regarding TTC Customer Service and Accessibility issues. Her concerns were:

• People with disabilities were not provided with the same level of service as users of the conventional system.
• Communication to passengers needs to be encouraged regarding consideration of those with special needs.
• Ms. Smith felt that TTC employees had been disrespectful to her and that customer service concerns were not properly addressed.

It was noted that Ms. Smith should put her concerns in writing and she was encouraged to contact Customer Service.

Communications

Heather Green (Chair) reported on the August 12, 2010 meeting:

• Priority Seating for Passengers with Disabilities

The Communications Subcommittee recommended that the existing priority seating signage be reviewed and a By-law notation be added to priority seating signs. This should be a motion at the ACAT general meeting.

• Signage in Elevators

Evelyn Gartner will invite a representative from TTC Marketing to attend a Communications Subcommittee meeting to discuss signage improvements.

• Communication Barriers / Plexiglas Shields

The Communications Subcommittee made a referral to the Service Planning and Design Review subcommittees to determine if ACAT was consulted regarding barrier design, and recommended that any future training material include an educational component to better communication through the Plexiglas Operator shields.

• Signage at Sheppard/Yonge

The Communications Subcommittee recommended signage throughout the system be reviewed.

• Station Layout

The Communications Subcommittee requested that Staff provide more information regarding the use of station layout information for trip planning.

Design Review

Craig Nicol (Chair) noted that on August 4, 2010, Susan Reed Tanaka, Manager – Engineering Department, asked the Design Review Subcommittee to develop interim guidelines until the AODA develops standards.

On August 11, 2010, several Design Review Subcommittee members took a field trip to view Vehicle Arrival System displays.

Mazin Aribi requested updates regarding Legacy Vehicle Design and Railcar Planning Design.

Service Planning

Anna Noviss (Chair) reported that the Service Planning Subcommittee met on August 11th and reviewed and prioritized outstanding items. Several items were referred to the Communications Subcommittee and subsequently presented to the Communications Subcommittee by Heather Green on August 12, 2010.

Wheel-Trans Operations

Angela Marley (Chair) advised that the WT Operations Subcommittee is reviewing suggestions regarding the ACCES system and plans to meet with staff to discuss further. The Subcommittee is planning to have their recommendations provided in a timely manner so that they can be incorporated into the system.

The Subcommittee had an issue with the lack of shuttle service to the CNE and asked what planning process was used.

Bill Frost had previously responded to Angela Marley by email that the issue should be raised with the Service Planning Subcommittee. He advised ACAT that TTC and Wheel Trans Planning has a calendar which is used long in advance of special events to determine service on shuttles for special events. There is also a post event review that is used to scheduling service for future events.

Marian McDonell reported on the Report from Customer Service Panel that outlined 78 observations and recommendations. One of the recommendations is to hire a Customer Service Officer.

Bill Frost reported that 88 Friendly buses were approved for purchase for 2011/2012 at a cost savings of $700,000 to the budget.

• ACAT agreed that, in order to have a broader view of all issues, to cut down on subcommittee updates at ACAT meetings, and to provide more accurate minute taking. It would be beneficial to have subcommittee minutes distributed with the ACAT meeting support packages.

 If the minutes were unavailable, if possible, a summary of subcommittee actions would be appreciated by ACAT in advance of their meetings.

ACAT will refer to the summary sheet request, concerns about public record, draft versus approved minutes, information being distributed to the Administration Committee so that they can develop a process.

• Bill Frost clarified Wheel-Trans’ process regarding lost articles. All lost items are sent to Wheel-Trans on Commissioners Street. As Wheel-Trans knows what customers use their vehicles on any given day, they do make an attempt to track down the owners of lost items and arrange to deliver the items. If personal items are lost, such as a passport, the item will be delivered back to the owner on the same day, if possible. The items are held at Commissioners Street for a minimum of 30 days and then are sent to Bay Station.

TTC staff will report how the conventional system handles lost articles belonging to people with disabilities and report the date when Bay Station will be made accessible.

• ACAT agreed that the Customer Service Panel Report be referred to the Service Planning Subcommittee as many issues outlined in the report speak to the issues that this Subcommittee addresses.
• It was noted that the TTC website does not indicate which bus stops are accessible or indicate which bus routes are accessible. Glenn Johnston responded that the website does not currently identify the 10 stations on Phase Development. Eventually, passengers will be able to go from the street to accessible buses and stations in a barrier-free path. Glenn Johnston will check into accessibility website updates.
• ACAT referred the bus stop and station accessibility information issues to the Communications Subcommittee.

The next meeting of ACAT will be held on Wednesday, September 29, 2010, in the 7th Floor Boardroom, 1900 Yonge Street.

On a motion by Angela Marley and seconded by Carol Anne Monet, the meeting was adjourned at 3:15 p.m.

Lori Blinn
Recording Secretary