ACAT Meeting - September 28, 2017

1. Call to Order / Attendance
2. Declaration of Conflict of Interest
3. Approval of Agenda
4. Remarks from ACAT Chair
5. Review and Approval of August 31, 2017 Minutes
6. Business Arising Out of Minutes/Outstanding Items
7. Deputation: Nil
8. Wheel-Trans 10-Year Strategy Update
9. Subcommittee Reports and Updates
10. ACAT Subcommittee Meeting Highlights for the Next TTC Board Meeting
11. Report on TTC Board Meeting and Accessibility Matters
12. Report on Customer Liaison Panel
13. Report on ACAT Executive Quarterly Meeting with CEO and Chair
14. CEO Update
15. Review of Correspondence
16. Other / New Business
17. Next Meeting –  October 26, 2017
18. Adjournment

1. Call to Order / Attendance
2. Declaration of Conflict of Interest
3. Approval of Agenda
4. Remarks from ACAT Chair
5. Review and Approval of August 31, 2017 Minutes
6. Business Arising Out of Minutes/Outstanding Items
7. Deputation: Nil
8. Wheel-Trans 10-Year Strategy Update
9. Subcommittee Reports and Updates
10. ACAT Subcommittee Meeting Highlights for the Next TTC Board Meeting
11. Report on TTC Board Meeting and Accessibility Matters
12. Report on Customer Liaison Panel
13. Report on ACAT Executive Quarterly Meeting with CEO and Chair
14. CEO Update
15. Review of Correspondence
16. Other / New Business
17. Next Meeting –  October 26, 2017
18. Adjournment

1. Call to Order / Attendance
2. Declaration of Conflict of Interest
3. Approval of Agenda
4. Remarks from ACAT Chair
5. Review and Approval of August 31, 2017 Minutes
6. Business Arising Out of Minutes/Outstanding Items
7. Deputation: Nil
8. Wheel-Trans 10-Year Strategy Update
9. Subcommittee Reports and Updates
10. ACAT Subcommittee Meeting Highlights for the Next TTC Board Meeting
11. Report on TTC Board Meeting and Accessibility Matters
12. Report on Customer Liaison Panel
13. Report on ACAT Executive Quarterly Meeting with CEO and Chair
14. CEO Update
15. Review of Correspondence
16. Other / New Business
17. Next Meeting –  October 26, 2017
18. Adjournment

1. Call to Order / Attendance
2. Declaration of Conflict of Interest
3. Approval of Agenda
4. Remarks from ACAT Chair
5. Review and Approval of August 31, 2017 Minutes
6. Business Arising Out of Minutes/Outstanding Items
7. Deputation: Nil
8. Wheel-Trans 10-Year Strategy Update
9. Subcommittee Reports and Updates
10. ACAT Subcommittee Meeting Highlights for the Next TTC Board Meeting
11. Report on TTC Board Meeting and Accessibility Matters
12. Report on Customer Liaison Panel
13. Report on ACAT Executive Quarterly Meeting with CEO and Chair
14. CEO Update
15. Review of Correspondence
16. Other / New Business
17. Next Meeting –  October 26, 2017
18. Adjournment

Debbie Gillespie, ACAT Chair, called the meeting to order and attendance was taken.

Nil

On a motion by Lauri Sue Robertson, seconded by Joan Jordan, the agenda was approved.

Debbie Gillespie thanked the ACAT members who volunteered to staff the ACAT information desk at the TTC Public Forum on Accessible Transit. Comments and feedback from the Public Forum will be addressed at the Subcommittee meetings.

The ACAT Information Sessions are scheduled for October 10, 2017 at 1:00 p.m. and October 17, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. ACAT members are encouraged to participate and invite people in their network who may be interested in applying for ACAT membership.

Debbie Gillespie informed ACAT members that she was invited to have a maiden voyage on the new Pro Master bus, riding to the TTC Public Forum, where the Pro Master bus and the Community Bus were displayed for review. The Operator was very well-trained and competent. Feedback from members on their experience riding on the new bus should be provided to staff.

On a motion by Craig Nicol, seconded by Lauri Sue Robertson, the minutes were approved.

• How does the TTC account for loss of revenue from accessible sedan vehicles that do not have PRESTO fare payment devices? This item has been referred to the TTC Fare Card Team.
• Emergency Evacuation Exercise at new TYSSE Stations: An invitation to ACAT is forthcoming and will be sent in the next few days.
• Emergency Subway Closures: This will be discussed at the Service Planning Subcommittee meeting in October.
• Service Advisories on TTC Website - Jaspreet Dhaliwal suggested that service advisories on the TTC website should not only indicate that there is a service disruption but also provide the accessible alternatives that customers can use for their trips. This was referred to the Customer Development Department

Nil

Aislin O'Hara stated that the support and participation of the ACAT members at the TTC Public Forum is appreciated by TTC staff.

Aislin O'Hara gave an update on the Wheel-Trans 10-Year Strategy.

Phase 2 of the Family of Services (FOS) pilot is in its sixth week, with customers being picked up and dropped off at subway stations. Feedback from customers was received and the Wheel-Trans Operations Subcommittee will be reviewing the survey to ensure that it reflects the appropriate questions that customers have.

The Pro Master vehicle began its service on September 19, 2017. Operator training on the bus continues. Thirteen (13) vehicles are expected to be delivered by the end of 2017 and the remaining vehicles will be delivered in 2018.

The installation of the first Mobility Transfer Hub at the Meadowvale Loop is on course. Other locations for transfer hubs are under consideration.

The Community Bus pilot on 400 Lawrence Manor and 404 East York routes were launched on September 5, 2017. Outreach programs will begin in October. The communication materials will be presented to the Communications Subcommittee. 

Positive feedback on the new Late Cancellation/No-Show Policy was received from customers, which will be considered with the ongoing updates to the policy.

Some of Wheel-Trans’ customer-facing policies need to be reviewed and updated. Further information will be brought to ACAT as the review moves forward.

Comments and Questions from the Committee Members

Telephone FOS surveys should be implemented so that feedback from seniors and other customers who do not have access to the internet can be captured.

Design Review Subcommittee (DRS) – Craig Nicol, Chair

A DRS meeting was held on September 6, 2017.

King Street Pilot

City representatives provided an update on the pilot. Eighteen (18) stops will be far-side and 2 stops at the transition ends will be near-side. The on-road transit waiting area will be defined with concrete barriers and planters and will have two ramps to the adjacent sidewalk.

Subcommittee Recommendations/Comments:

• The gradient of the ramps to the sidewalk should be the same as the curb ramps.
• One ramp should align with the second door of the streetcar and the second ramp should be placed adjacent to the concrete barrier closest to the rear door.
• DRS recommended that there should be a clear delineation between the customer waiting area and the space for cyclists to pass the waiting area.

Science Centre Station Bus Platform

TTC staff presented the latest design for the TTC bus terminal at the Eglinton Crosstown LRT Science Centre Station. The terminal runs east-west between Gervais Drive and Don Mills Road. It has seven bus bays and a Wheel-Trans bus bay. Access to the platform is from both the streets via fare gates and from the LRT via elevator, escalator, and stairs. There is a continuous indoor waiting area with sliding doors for each bus bay and an overhead protection for the exterior platform.

Subcommittee Recommendations/Comments:

• DRS recommended that there be a public accessible drop off zone near one of the bus loop station entrances.
• It was recommended that the accessible pedestrian crossing signal at the bus loop exit to Don Mills Road be coordinated such that pedestrians pushing the button will be able to proceed immediately if there is no bus waiting to exit.
• It was recommended that bicycle parking areas be segregated from pedestrian access routes with a physical barrier.

Cedarvale Station Design

TTC staff presented the ninety percent design for the Cedarvale (Eglinton West) interchange station. There will be three accessible entrances on the north side of Eglinton and one stair entrance on the south side. Integrated with the existing station, there will be 4 elevators connecting to the street and two elevators to the ECLRT platform resulting in redundancy for all platforms. There will be an accessible public washroom on the concourse level.

Subcommittee Recommendations/Comments:

• It was recommended that the floor level numbering with Canadian Standards Association (CSA) B44 Safety Code for Elevators, Annex E – Elevator Requirement for Persons with Physical Disabilities, be adhered to. Floors would be 0 street, -1 Concourse, -3 YUS platform plus East and West Concourses and -4 ECLRT platform.
• DRS questioned the placing of all 4 elevators giving accessible access to the station on the north side of Eglinton Avenue West. This will leave only a stair access at the south entrance; thereby, requiring crossing the very busy intersection for residents south of Eglinton.

The next DRS meeting is scheduled for October 4, 2017.

Communication Subcommittee (CS) – Margaret Hageman, Chair

No CS meeting was held since the last ACAT meeting.

Wheel-Trans Operations Subcommittee (WTOS) – Lynn McCormick, Chair

A WTOS meeting was held on September 7, 2017.

The Pro Master bus was reviewed by WTOS members on September 7, 2017 and David Tonon, Lakeshore Garage, documented the comments and suggestions made by WTOS members.

Concerns were raised about the unawareness of customers with respect to having the safest devices that can be properly secured on TTC vehicles. Hari Rathod, Assistant Manager, Transportation will follow-up on this.

Over 5,100 trips booked since the beginning of the Family of Services pilot. It was recommended that the survey questions should be redesigned to accommodate Phase 2 trips and to further discuss how to include customers who do not have access to the internet in the feedback process.

The new Community Bus pilot, along 400 Lawrence Manor and 404 East York routes, was launched on September 5, 2017 and customers who are residents along those routes have received a letter informing them about this. WTOS recommended that, for the further mail outs to customers, a larger font should be used.

The next WTOS meeting will be held on October 19, 2017 at 580 Commissioners Street.

Questions and Comments from Subcommittee Members

• The initial letter mailed out to customers on the new Community Bus routes was resent in a larger font.
• The numerical information on the length, gradient, and slope of both ramps on the Pro Master Bus should be provided to the WTOS members and ACAT.

Service Planning Subcommittee (SPS) - Valdo Tammark, Chair

No SPS meeting was held since the last ACAT meeting.

DRS:

• Wheel-Trans King Street Pilot transit boarding areas
• ECLRT Science Centre Station Bus Loop requires second public accessible drop off
• ECLRT Cedarvale Station restricts accessible entry to the north side of Eglinton Avenue West

WTOS:

• Review of New Pro Master Bus
• Community Bus pilot along routes 400 Lawrence Manor and 404 East York was launched on September 5, 2017

Raymond Dell'Aera reported that the TTC Board Meeting was held on September 5, 2017.

The June 29, 2017 ACAT minutes were received by the Board. Debbie Gillespie, ACAT Chair presented the ACAT Subcommittee meeting highlights.

A motion to procure 60 Pro Master Buses was moved and approved by the Board.

The next TTC Board Meeting will be held on October 16, 2017 at City Hall.

A CLP meeting was held on September 27, 2017.

Jessica Kosmack, Senior Communications Specialist, made a presentation on the TTC’s Internal Communications Strategic Plan 2017-2018. When implemented, it is anticipated it will generate a more positive impact on customer experience.

Members shared observations from their transit use.

The ACAT Executive Quarterly meeting was held on September 14, 2017, attended by TTC Vice-Chair Alan Heisey, Kristin Lillyman, Policy Advisor, Office of the TTC Chair, Rick Leary, Chief Service Officer (for Andy Byford, CEO), Eve Wiggins, Head of Wheel-Trans, and the ACAT Executive. The following were discussed:
 
King Street Pilot

The ACAT Executive expressed concerns for the safe boarding and exiting areas at transit stops on the King Street pilot route. There is no tactile demarcation for passengers with visual impairment to reference, to determine if they are in open traffic or in the safe area. Concern for the hazard of the bike lane located between streetcar and sidewalk waiting area was addressed. Kristin Lillyman reported there is no plan for a bike lane on King Street.

Quarterly Meeting Outstanding Items

There was agreement in developing a Quarterly Meeting Outstanding Items list to track issues that are not resolved in the short term. This is especially important as ACAT Executive members change every year. These items would be reported to ACAT in the Quarterly Meeting reports.

The two current items on the list are:

• Subway Station Accessibility Checklist used by TTC (February 8, 2017)

At the February Quarterly meeting, the ACAT Executive asked if the TTC uses a checklist to determine what makes a subway station officially “accessible”. Eve Wiggins reported that Wheel-Trans staff are reviewing an audit of subway station accessibility features and Family of Services transit stops, which was completed by the Consultants, and will be brought to ACAT and its relevant Subcommittees.

• Harmonization of Accessibility Features an Standards between Metrolinx LRT stations and existing TTC stations and services (May 11, 2017)

Alan Heisey, TTC Vice-Chair, commented that by referring to LRT instead of focusing solely on the Eglinton Crosstown LRT line, ACAT is addressing the generalized issue of harmonization of accessibility standards among transit providers.

Communications

The ACAT Executive stressed the importance of bringing communications initiatives to ACAT members early in the process, to obtain accessibility advice. It was explained that items have been brought by staff to Customer Communications with a very short turnaround time, leaving little time to consult with ACAT.

TTC Public Forum on Accessible Transit

Alan Heisey reported that TTC Board was not successful in holding the September TTC Board meeting on the same day as the TTC Public Forum, in an attempt to encourage the Board members to attend the Forum. As 2018 is a City election year, there will be no September Board meeting. There was a consensus to recommend that it be explored to hold a Board meeting on the same day and location as the Public Forum.

The next Quarterly Meeting will be held on November 23, 2017.

Andy Byford, TTC CEO, provided the following updates.

TYSSE Stations

The stations are built fully accessible. The training of Operators on how to navigate through the stations is ongoing. The testing and commissioning of all equipment is ongoing. Safety case certificates are being compiled.

The Stations will officially open on December 17, 2017.

Easier Access Projects

St. Clair West Station became an accessible station on September 1, 2017. Elevators are now in operation connecting from street level to the bus, subway and concourse levels.

Elevators at Woodbine Station are nearing completion and the opening is imminent. The station is fully equipped with PRESTO. The official launch is on October 12, 2017.

Coxwell Station will become an accessible station by the end of 2017. Consultations with local community and Councillors are in progress. The lighting in the station will be improved.

Work to make Yorkdale, Wellesley, Chester, and Runnymede Stations accessible is scheduled to start in 2018 and expected to be completed by 2020. In the near future, elevators at 17 stations will be under construction at the same time.

Andy Byford informed members that Metrolinx has a new CEO and he is looking forward to having a good working relationship with the new CEO.

Questions and Comments from Committee Members

• Are the TYSSE stations managed by TTC? Andy Byford answered in the affirmative.

The Wheel-Trans Stop addresses at the subway stations need to be synchronized with subway station addresses. Charlene Sharpe, Wheel-Trans, is working on this.

Will the PRESTO fare gates installed during the current wave of construction have second readers on the wide fare gates? Matt Hagg noted that all wide fare gates installed after January 2017 were installed with second readers, and that the gates now under construction will include these. Wide PRESTO fare gates installed in 2016 that do not yet have the second readers will be retrofitted at a later date.

Pioneer Village and Highway 407 have private streets that provide access to these stations. It is therefore important for the street to have specific names for ease of navigation by customers.

Nil.

Announcement: The City, Metrolinx, and the TTC are working together to bring more transit to communities across the City. The schedule was reported of the October dates and locations of the public meetings being held, to provide information about the new Smart Track/GO stations being planned in Toronto and to get feedback.

Valdo Tammark noted that, traditionally, ACAT meetings in December are held immediately after the TTC Board meeting. Debbie Gillespie stated that changing the date of the December meeting will be considered.

Craig Nicol suggested that the Wheel-Trans audit of subway station accessibility features and Family of Services transit stops, which was completed by the Consultants, should be shared with DRS.

The next meeting of ACAT will be held on Thursday, October 26, 2017, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at 1900 Yonge Street, 7th Floor Boardroom.

The meeting was adjourned at 3:10 p.m.

Temi Omope
Recording Secretary