ACAT Meeting - August 27, 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 motion by Joan Jordan and seconded by Tim Rose, the agenda was approved without amendments.

ACAT Chair Mazin Aribi announced the new member of ACAT, Jaspreet Dhaliwal. Jaspreet Dhaliwal will also stay on in her current capacity as a member of the Communications Subcommittee and will join the Design Review Subcommittee.

Tim Rose was nominated for the position of ACAT Vice Chair by Angela Rebeiro. The nomination was seconded Sam Savona and the Committee voted in favour.
There was a question of whether Tim Rose’s position on the Customer Liaison Panel would pose a conflict of interest with his new position as Vice Chair. It was reported that the Committee leadership looked into this issue and that no conflict is present.

On motion by Sam Savona and seconded by Judy Berger, the July 30, 2015 minutes were approved with the following amendments:

• Page 9, second-last paragraph should read “Eve Wiggins explained how active Wheel-Trans registrations used to lapse after two years of non-use and how that has now been changed to one year of non-use.”
• Page 11, Item 14 should be written to exclude Marian McDonnell’s name.

The Committee discussed the volume of Outstanding items and debated the difference between what is considered Outstanding Items and what is simply “ongoing work.” The Committee agreed on the following points:

• Outstanding Items are not part of the published meeting minutes and are, therefore, an internal planning tool for the Committee.
• Updates related to ongoing Subcommittee work should simply say, for example, “See Design Review Subcommittee” until there is a definitive update.

The Committee also discussed what should be done with the Ongoing Item of Accessibility Flash Cards / Travel Assistance Card, particularly whether they should be referred to the Service Planning Subcommittee or Communications Subcommittee or both. Or, if it is now in TTC’s hands, whether a joint Subcommittee should be struck. The Committee debated the extent to which these cards needed to be sanctioned and enforced (through policy or bylaws, for example).

In the end, it was decided that the question of the Accessibility Flash Cards / Travel Assistance Card would be referred to Communications Subcommittee to clarify the issue and report back.

Nil.

Communications Subcommittee (CS) – Marian McDonell, Chair
No meetings were held since the last ACAT meeting.

Wheel-Trans Operations Subcommittee (WTOS)
No meetings were held since the last ACAT meeting.

Design Review Subcommittee (DRS) – Craig Nicol, Chair
Craig Nicol reported that DRS met on August 5, 2015.

Dave Trimble, TTC Communications Engineering, and Roy Park, TTC Rail Vehicle Engineering, attended to get feedback on the proposed solution for external pre-boarding announcements in the subway system. There were some issues with short-turn announcements.

The other item discussed was re-designing the display of destination sign branch letters on TTC buses. The current configuration of TTC destination signs display a route number and branch letter with spacing which are both the same size i.e.: “60D”. In this example, the lettering can be confusing as the route number and branch letter can appear to read as “600”.

DRS members expressed a preference for a small space between the branch number and the letter as well as having the letter slightly small, for example 3/4 the size. The idea of using pictograms was also discussed. It was decided that they could create more confusion than anything, for example, an airport pictogram offers no information on which airport the vehicle is going to.

The gap issue at St. Clair Station was also discussed in which they looked at a localized ramp which could be an issue.

A member of the Design Review Subcommittee also reported that they witnessed the yellow demarcation from the bus platform for ramp deployment working in practice.

Service Planning Subcommittee (SPS) – Valdo Tammark, Chair

Valdo Tammark reported that they met on August 5, 2015 and discussed the TTC Public Forum on Accessible Transit and the Dundas West Station Elevator Overhaul Project.

Mary Leo-Oliver, Manager, TTC Special Events, attended and reported that her team is underway with a new venue for the Public Forum, the Allstream Centre, which is fully accessible, spacious, bright, and with good AV capability. There will be a designated area for buses as well as accessible taxis and sedans. Overall, it should be a major improvement over previous Forums.

The group also discussed the Elevator Overhaul Project and the general feeling is that the alternate shuttle service offered during the closure worked well.

Questions and Comments from the Committee
A member of the Committee wished to know if anything was decided regarding the layout of the Allstream Centre for the Public Forum on Accessible Transit.

Matt Hagg replied that chairs will be located on the right, display and stage will be located on the south wall and on the right as well. On the left will be the marketplace and in between there will be a wide empty aisle.

Nil.

The Customer Liaison Panel did not meet in August. 

Margaret Hageman and Sam Savona attended a Transit Fare Equity Project Advisory Committee meeting at City Hall. Items discussed were income and eligibility for transit subsidy and public engagement for public input into Transit Fare Equity issues.

In terms of eligibility, different methods were looked at for determining if individuals fall under a low income bracket. The methods were Low Income Cut Off (LICO), Low Income Measure (LIM), and Market Basket Measure (MBM). Further discussions will take place to decide which is best.

On the topic of public engagement, open sessions will be planned around the city to get input as to what transit fare equity is and how it should be applied. It was suggested that a separate session be added for people with disabilities in order not to lose the impact of having a disability and being a low income person, to which everyone agreed.

People with disabilities would be welcome at any session and needs and services are available upon request for all sessions. It was suggested that community organizations could host sessions themselves. Online engagement is also going to be made available.

Flyers and pamphlets may be made available at the TTC Public Forum.

Questions and Comments from the Committee
A member of the Committee asked how often the Advisory Committee meets. Margaret Hageman replied that they meet monthly for three hours at a time and have four remaining meetings this year.

A member of the Committee reintroduced the topic of the Susan Davidson Memorial, an initiative first introduced to ACAT last February. Initially, the idea was to introduce a memorial building or vehicle named for Susan Davidson. After discussion, the Committee favoured the idea of a plaque with additional names that could be added later.

Co-Vice Chair Angela Rebeiro brought forward the motion that a memorial plaque bearing Susan Davidson’s name be located in the TTC Head Office Executive Board Room and moved to any future board room. Susan Davidson is the first name to be posthumously added to the plaque with future names to be added in the future based on an eligibility criteria. The plaque is to contain no pictures.

Judy Berger seconded the motion and it was unanimously passed.

Details such as eligibility criteria and formal name of the memorial are still to be decided. A letter will be written to Andy Byford, following the motion made by the ACAT members.

Matt Hagg announced that, to date, four buses are running with External Announcements installed. There has been limited customer and Operator feedback but the feedback received has been positive. They are looking into rolling out the system to all buses starting at the end of 2015 after some bugs are worked out such as dynamic volume controls which require improvement.
Questions and Comments from the Committee A member of the Committee asked what the status is of the systems being installed in streetcars and subways. Matt Hagg replied that he will have more information on that at an upcoming Design Review Subcommittee meeting.

Nil.

Marian McDonell addressed the Committee members who might be interested in shadowing for Bus Operator Training to get in touch with her or Gail Mahon, TTC Senior Instructor.
A member of the Committee inquired about the availability of an environmental scan discussed in a previous meeting. Matt Hagg replied that it is not yet available but that he will follow up and report back.
The Committee also discussed an issue in which former ACAT Chair, Howard Wax, received an invitation to the Labour Day parade from the Union leadership. Some were concerned about conflict of interest and the use of ACAT email addresses for non-ACAT business. The Committee agreed that ACAT communications should come through the Chair and BCC should be used to protect privacy when appropriate to do so.

The next meeting of ACAT will be held on Thursday, September 24, 2015, from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. at 1900 Yonge Street, 7th Floor Boardroom.

The meeting was adjourned at 2:57 p.m.