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.

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).

Accessibility Adventure at 2014 Fan Expo Canada

This was my second year going to Fan Expo Canada at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on August 28-31. Fan Expo is one of North America's largest fan experiences featuring Comics, Sci-Fi, Horror, Anime, and Gaming. Last year I dressed up as Cat Bus, a character from my favorite Miyazaki anime, My Neighbor Totoro, which was a lot of fun.

I was not planning to go this year because last year I had to pay for both me and my friend, and it can be hard for persons with disabilities to pay for two people. This year when I found out that Fan Expo decided to allow attendants/caregivers free complimentary admission to attend the convention with a people with special needs I immediately decided to go. It also helped that stars from my favourite movies and TV shows were going to be there including the Lord of the Rings, Elijah Wood and Matt Smith from Doctor Who.

My friend and I found there were more people with disabilities than last year, and that means there needs to be some improvements to make the experience better.

What needs to improve:
1. Elevators: There were long line ups at the elevators especially in the South Building and people who may have used the stairs or escalators were using the elevators as well. There has to be someone directing traffic at the elevators.
2. Wheel Trans drop off: It was hard for Wheel Trans to stop on the street, especially when dealing with the coach buses from the Blue Jays game. Fan Expo and Metro Convention needs to let Wheel Trans drop off and pick up in the roundabout at the South Building entrance.

What worked well:
1. Photo Op Area: The volunteers were friendly and guided me to the front of the line of where my photo op with Elijah was taking place.
2. Auditorium for Panels: The auditorium where the Q&A panels with Elijah Wood, Matt Smith, and Arrow's Stephen Amell was perfect. The area was spacious for people in wheelchairs, and the volunteers guided my friend and I up to the front where we could see well.

After four fun and tiring days at Fan Expo, it was well worth it. Everyone should experience it at least once. All you need to be prepared for is dealing with large crowds, which my friend and I have become professionals through previous experiences with other conventions.