RV's Streetcar Adventure!

I made two trips on the new streetcar, both were on Sundays when I expected the crowds to be less.

Trip 1: I boarded the streetcar at Spadina. I then headed southwards, disembarking at Spadina and Dundas. I re-boarded after two hours and went further to Union. From Union I took the subway home.

Highlights of my first trip: The main thing was that it all worked quite smoothly. The only difficult moments were: 1) disembarking from the streetcar on the ramp. I felt the incline was too steep. 2) I disembarked in the middle of traffic, which is what all passengers do. However able-bodied passengers are able to walk across the traffic signal when the lights favour them. In my wheelchair I found I had to wait 2 or 3 lights to get a break and feel safe enough to cross. The general speed to cross in a wheelchair is slower than on pavement, because of the embedded metal streetcar tracks. I should think that people in manual chairs will find it more difficult to cross the road in time.

Trip 2: I boarded the streetcar at Union heading northwards to Spadina. Halfway through the journey at Spadina and King, the streetcar developed problems and the driver announced that it was going out of service. We all had to disembark and he left in an empty streetcar. The able bodied passengers boarded the next streetcar and went on their way. I was the only person left waiting on the street. It was a cold Sunday evening, and a uniformed TTC employee informed me that no other accessible streetcars would come that way since it was getting late on a Sunday evening. He offered to ring up Wheel-Trans and get them to come and pick me up. I waited about 30 minutes, but no Wheel-Trans showed up. The TTC  employee then asked me to cross the road and go to the other side and wait for a return streetcar which was soon to arrive. After an hour after the first streetcar, the second streetcar came and I headed back to Union station.

Positive comments: On the first trip I disembarked at Chinatown which I had not seen in several years because of the lack of previous accessible routes. Since it was Sunday, the crowds were less and I was able to easily navigate the sidewalks and even managed to find a suitable restaurant which had accessible doors. I am hoping that more establishments will make themselves barrier-free as more streetcars become wheelchair accessible and more customers show up who need accessibility.

Negative comments: Getting stranded in the middle of traffic. Although the TTC employees did try their best, the whole process took longer than it should have. Therefore I do not think the streetcar is a suitable method of transportation for any person who has an appointment to keep, especially if you cannot simply take the next vehicle that comes along.

Also as I said earlier, a manual chair will present more issues than a powered wheelchair, especially for travel in winter using the streetcar. The internal controls are all geared to people who are sighted and any person with a visual impairment will find it difficult to disembark at a particular stop. Right now the TTC people are friendly and attentive and I hope this remains the case even when the new gen streetcar has become more common.

Adventures in Scotland!

For those of you who are thinking about traveling to Scotland, and are worried about the level of accessibility, there is no need. Scotland is VERY accessible.  It is so much more accessible than Toronto is.  A few years ago, I went on a vacation to Glasgow and was extremely pleased.  In this article, I will outline all the things that I was impressed with.

First of all, all of the sidewalks are ramped.  You never have to worry about going on the road or popping a wheelie to get onto the sidewalk.  Also on the sidewalk, when you are getting close to the curb there are little bumps.  I asked why they were there.  I was informed that the sidewalk was made like that to let blind people aware that they were getting close to the curb. The only thing people have to be careful of is walking on them in they are wet.  Some of them are brass so they get extremely slippery when they are wet.  Even the wheels on my wheelchair slipped when I went over them.

Secondly, everywhere you go, an accessible washroom is not hard to find. If there is not an accessible stall within the washroom, there is a separate accessible one right next door.  If it is a separate one, it is like a room.  It is very spacious so a person in a wheelchair has plenty of room to get around.  In most washrooms in Glasgow, there is a red cord you can pull in case of emergency.  If a person is by himself or herself in the washroom and something goes wrong (if they fall), they can pull this cord and someone comes to help them.  And when the sign says accessible, it means accessible. The washrooms are not like here when they say they are accessible when in reality they are not. The toilets are at the right height, the toilet paper dispenser is at the perfect height and easy to reach. The sinks and soap dispenser is low so you don’t have to strain yourself to reach it.

Lastly, the transportation is unbelievable.  In Toronto, when you want to go somewhere, you have to call ahead to get a ride, whether it be Wheel-Trans or a cab if need be.  In Scotland, ALL of the taxis are accessible.  Like Toronto, there are mini-vans in Scotland.  However, they have regular sized taxis that are accessible.  That’s right, anyone in a wheelchair can be on the side of the street and hail a taxi and not have to worry.  So, if you have to be somewhere in a hurry, there is no need to panic.  You don’t have to call ahead and order an accessible cab ahead of time. The other form of transportation that is more advanced than Toronto are the buses. Anyone with a mobility issue can get into a bus.  The floor lowers and a ramp comes down.  The only thing I would caution is that there is nothing there to tether you in place.  You are on your own.  The last form of transportation I was extremely impressed with was the train.  I went on a train ride from Glasgow to Edinburgh.  To gain access to the train itself, there is a portable ramp available.  Once you enter the train, there are special places designated for people in wheelchairs. Again, the only thing I would caution is that, like the buses, there is nothing there to tether you in place.  However, unlike the bus, the train ride is extremely smooth so it is unlikely you would move.

So I will say it again, anyone who is thinking about taking a trip to Scotland, there is NO need to worry.  They are very much more ahead of Toronto as far as accessibility goes. I would highly recommend people take a trip there.  Even though I travelled with my family, I would not hesitate to go there by myself!

2014 Metrolinx Accessibility Public Meetings

Source: Metrolinx.com

During the month of November, Metrolinx will be hosting the Accessibility Public Meetings. These meetings are similar to the TTC Accessible Forum back in September, allowing you to share your ideas on how Metrolinx and its operating divisions, GO Transit, PRESTO and Union Pearson Express, can make it easier for people with disabilities to travel around our region.

The last Metrolinx Accessibility Public Meeting was held in 2012, and the feedback from the public and Metrolinx responses can be viewed here under Appendix A. The topics covered ranges from the general design of the stations to the visibility and audibility of information.

We will be there covering the meetings. If you have any questions you would like us to bring up, leave a comment below!

There will be four public meetings this November:

Central – Toronto: Wednesday, November 12, 2014
One-on-one discussions: 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Public meeting: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m

Metro Hall - Rooms 308 and 309 (third floor)
55 John Street, Toronto, ON M5V 3C6

Closest GO Transit station: Union Station - Train or Union Station Bus Terminal
For local transit schedule information, visit TTC

East – Whitby: Tuesday, November 18, 2014
One-on-one discussions: 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Public meeting: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m

Abilities Centre - Theatre/Multi-Purpose Room (second floor)
55 Gordon Street, Whitby, ON, L1N 0J2

Closest GO Transit station: Whitby GO Station
For local transit schedule information, visit Durham Region Transit

West – Oakville: Tuesday, November 25, 2014
One-on-one discussions: 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Public meeting: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m

Oakville Town Hall - Oakville and Trafalgar Rooms
1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, ON, L6H 0H3

Closest GO Transit station: Oakville GO Station
For local transit schedule information, visit Oakville Transit

North – York Region: Thursday, December 4, 2014
One-on-one discussions: 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Public meeting: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m

York Region Transit Office – Corporate Learning Centre
50 High Tech Road, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4N7

Closest GO Transit station: Langstaff GO Station
For local transit schedule information, visit York Region Transit

If you are interested in attending a meeting, please RSVP by sending an email to accessibility@metrolinx.com, or call 1-888-438-6646, or 1-800-387-3652 (TTY teletypewriters only).