13 April 2010 / le 13 avril 2010
Submitted by/Soumis par : Nancy Schepers, Deputy City Manager/Directrice
municipale adjointe, Infrastructure Services and Community
Sustainability/Services d 'infrastructure et Viabilité des collectivités
Contact Person/Personne ressource : Alain Mercier, General
Manager/Directeur général
Transit
Services/Service de transports en commun
(613)
580-2424 x 52271, alain.mercier@ottawa.ca
SUBJECT:
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OBJET :
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MISE À JOUR: VÉRIFICATION DE
L’ACCESSIBILITÉ DANS LES INSTALLATIONS DE TRANSPORT EN COMMUN |
That the
Transit Committee receive this report for information.
Que le Comité du transport en commun prenne connaissance de ce rapport.
As a result of the following recommendation, Council directed Transit Services to conduct a comprehensive accessibility audit of the City's transit system in February 2008.
That Council request a comprehensive accessibility audit of the City of Ottawa’s public transit system including Para Transpo be conducted with the participation of all relevant players including the Real Property Asset Management Branch and Customer Services; and
that the
Terms of Reference for the comprehensive accessibility review:
a)
incorporate the elements proposed by the
Accessibility Advisory Committee (save for the employment issues;)
b)
incorporate consultation with the Auditor
General to seek his suggestions; and
c) be brought to the Transit Committee for approval.
The direction by Council to proceed with an audit resulted from a discussion centered on a December 2007 motion from the Accessibility Advisory Committee:
WHEREAS the Accessibility Advisory Committee
recognizes that a safe, dependable and efficient public transit system must
exist for the City of Ottawa to be an inclusive community;
AND WHEREAS the Accessibility Advisory
Committee is aware of shortcomings and problems associated with the public
transit system, these conditions ranging from transit station elevators being
often out of service and OC Transpo pass and ticket vendor locations being
inaccessible, to frequent reports of poor customer relations and
communications;
AND WHEREAS the Accessibility Advisory
Committee deems that a system-wide audit is an effective and efficient means to
determine the extent of the deficiencies as well as a basis for establishing
benchmarks and setting priorities for improving the accessibility of the public
transit system;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the
Accessibility Advisory Committee recommends that a comprehensive accessibility
audit of the City of Ottawa’s public transit system including Para Transpo be
conducted with the participation of all relevant players including RPAM and
Customer Services. This audit would be
designed to identify barriers to the use of City of Ottawa’s public transit
system including Para Transpo by all persons.
At a minimum, the recommended audit would include an assessment of:
The Terms of Reference for the accessibility audit was developed in consultation with the Accessibility Advisory Committee, the Auditor General's office and staff of the Real Property Asset Management Branch. Council was updated on the progress of the audit during Transit Services: Progress on Refinement to Policy Standards (ACS2009-ICS-TRA-0007) in June 2009.
A Request for Proposal was developed and a contract subsequently awarded to GENIVAR Consultants LP in August 2009. GENIVAR conducted the accessibility audit from fall 2009 through to early 2010. Transit Services is now in receipt of the audit and in the process of developing a comprehensive roadmap to make transit facility improvements and customer service policy work identified in the report.
Transit Services has continually demonstrated its commitment to providing fully accessible transit service for all our customers. This has been accomplished by:
Transit Services uses COMAP to identify and report on a number of accessibility programs and initiatives. Initiatives identified in COMAP 2010 for Transit Services include:
Two of the four key outcomes for Transit Services, approved by Council during the Strategic Branch Review (SBR) in August 2008, are linked to accessible transit services - Ease of Mobility and Accessibility for people with disabilities. One of the objectives of the SBR was to design and implement a foundation that would allow Transit Services to be more accountable to Council and the public, while providing a transparent and effective methodology for reporting. The audit report provides Transit Services with a baseline for performance measurement while proposing an implementation plan with a priority focused on improving accessibility.
Transit Services intends to align its efforts toward removing barriers for persons with disabilities with the highest standards applicable to the transit industry. The SBR outcomes and standards reflect the language used in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), which encompasses barrier-free customer services, built environment and transportation.
However, Transit Services is a federally regulated agency; therefore, the AODA standards do not apply. Nonetheless, it is the intention of Transit Services to develop parallel policies and procedures that respect the spirit and intent of the AODA standards.
City’s
Strategic Plan
Transit Services has a number of objectives identified in the City’s Strategic Plan to ensure that the City’s goal of providing greater opportunity for access to Ottawa’s bus system for all people, including those with disabilities is achieved. The actions identified in the Strategic Plan include: completion of the accessibility audit of Transit Services, implementation of Automated Next Stop Announcements, the production of roadmap outlining how OC Transpo will deploy its accessible transit services in the future, an increase in the number of trips offered by Para Transpo and the implementation of an accessible Light Rail Transit LRT System.
Review
Process for New Transit Facilities
A new comprehensive review process is in place to ensure that all new transit facilities are fully accessible to our customers. This review is conducted by staff, which includes the Transit Accessibility Specialist during the preliminary design phase to ensure the facility meets current accessibility standards. As plans are modified before construction, staff reviews the plans to determine if there are any impacts to accessibility. Once construction nears completion, staff conduct on-site inspections to ensure all accessibility elements meet standards.
The accessibility audit conducted by GENIVAR, which included both conventional and Para Transpo, had two areas of scope:
A facility audit of Para Transpo, with the exception of the administrative building on Belfast Road, was not conducted as Para Transpo provides users with door-to-door service (pick up at their home, work, etc and transported to their desired destination).
The audit revealed that there are significant areas of compliance with both the requirements of the Ontario Building Code (2006) and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA). There are; however, a number of minor deficiencies in the transitway stations and buildings with an estimated cost of $2.2M for improvements that will be addressed in a timely fashion by Transit Services. It is important to note that most Transit Services facilities were developed under previous versions of the code. As a result, an indication of non-compliance in the audit document does not necessarily indicate a code violation.
The review of Transit Services customer services policies did reveal a lack of formal documentation of policies; however, this is not reflected in practice. Transit Services has identified a dedicated resource that will begin the formal documentation of customer service policies during the next year.
The facility
audit provided Transit Services with an assessment of current transit
facilities relative to existing standards under the Ontario Building Code (OBC
2006), the Canadian Standards Association and the proposed AODA Built Environment standard (still under development). Further review will be required once the final
AODA Built Environment standard is
legislated.
The OBC, the CSA and the proposed AODA Built Environment standard do not provide any specifications for bus stops and shelters. For this reason, a specific audit of bus stops and shelters was not possible. The audit report provided a proposed comprehensive standard based on best practices research for consideration by staff.
Each requirement of the OBC and CSA was analyzed
against the proposed AODA Built
Environment standard and a composite Facility Audit Checklist document was
developed. This checklist identifies areas where the OBC and CSA meets the
pending AODA Built Environment
standard requirements and areas of non-compliance. Members of the consultant
project team used the Facility Audit Checklist to conduct accessibility audits
at transit stations, administrative buildings, and park and ride facilities
during the months of October, November, December and January. Field notes,
photographs and cost estimates were recorded into a database upon completion of
the audits and used to evaluate accessibility at transit facilities. The database clearly identifies where the
audited facilities do not meet the OBC, the CSA and proposed AODA Built Environment standard.
Common areas of compliance with the CSA and OBC
emerged while the facility audits were being conducted.
These common areas of compliance with the CSA and OBC
include: accessible pathway elements, door widths, aisle and hallway widths,
stair design, elevator dimensions and functions, park and ride lot design,
accessible space provision at park and ride lots and exterior pathway design.
Common deficiencies against the CSA and OBC include:
lack of detectable hazard warnings, minor handrail design issues, telephone
location and cord lengths, grab rail placement in washrooms (St. Laurent and
Belfast), braille signage on some elevator components, elevator door functions
and floor signals, lack of loading areas at park and ride lots, and exterior
and interior lighting levels.
Cost estimates to reach 100 per cent compliance were
provided based on City specification information and include both materials and
labour. Cost estimates were based on
each deficiency individually and will not necessarily reflect the actual cost
of completing the work. Savings will be
achieved through bulk purchase and installation. The estimated cost to correct the deficiencies
identified with the OBC and the CSA is $2.2M.
Cost estimates to correct deficiencies identified with the proposed AODA Built Environment standard will
have to be reviewed once the final standard is available. The proposed standard is currently with the
committee who are reviewing the many comments received.
The consultant did identify some priority
accessibility barriers and value investments for staff consideration. Major accessibility barriers that were
identified include; lighting, elevators, curb ramps and passenger drop
areas. Improvements in the area of
signage are considered value investments.
The customer service policy review examined Transit
Services policies and procedures with respect to accessible customer service.
The overall intent is to ensure that transit services are available and
accessible to all members of the community.
The objective of the review was to assess the current
customer service policies in place at Transit Services, to assess the
effectiveness of their application and to recommend areas for new or refined
customer service policies, as well as, a methodology for on-going review.
The consultant met with various members of Transit
Services staff, including operations, planning, customer service, Para Transpo,
legal and marketing. The consultant
conducted a three-hour staff workshop in mid-November. Members of the Seniors
Advisory Committee, Accessibility Advisory Committee, Pedestrian and Transit
Advisory Committee and members of the public were invited to provide input at a
workshop in late-November. Consultation
with members of the public was used to help identify the customer experience
with respect to the accessibility aspects of customer service.
For the review of customer service elements, relevant
sections of the AODA Customer Service
Standard (OR 429/07), the AODA draft
standard on Information and Communications and the AODA draft standard on Transportation were used, along with the CSA
standard Customer Service standard for People with Disabilities (B480-02).
Findings
The review of customer service policies and procedures
revealed lack of evidence of formal documentation of customer service policies.
However, this is countered by reasonable evidence of effective customer service
practices.
With respect to practice, a number of areas for
improvement were identified, including:
Priority
areas
The lack of formal policies presents an opportunity to
establish a comprehensive policy framework. The audit recommendations propose a
policy framework which stresses a system approach with customer focus, staff
involvement, and a culture of continuous quality improvement.
The report recommends the development of specific
formal policies in areas of:
To ensure OC Transpo is accessible to all of its customers,
the report also recommends the establishment of a formal review process for the
on-going assessment of customer services. This process includes establishing
performance measures in key areas and a periodic review process comprising:
There are no rural implications in the report.
Consultation on the development of the RFP for the accessibility audit took place with the Auditor General's office, staff from Transit facility maintenance, Design and Construction staff and the Accessibility Advisory Committee. Council was provided with an update on the accessibility audit process in June 2009 (ACS2009-ICS-TRA-0007). One-on-one consultation with various members of Transit Services staff took place during the audit. A three-hour session on the review of policies and procedures was held with members of Transit Services in November 2009.
As well, an evening consultation session was held with members of the Accessibility Advisory Committee, the Seniors Advisory Committee, the Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committee as well as members of the community in November 2009. The Accessibility Advisory Committee was also provided with updates on the accessibility audit in November 2009 and March 2010. Further consultation with the Accessibility Advisory Committee and affected staff will occur during the development of policies and procedures.
The City’s Accessibility Office was consulted and have been briefed throughout the process.
N/A
There are no legal/risk management impediments to the implementation of this report’s recommendation.
Continue to improve the service culture at the City of Ottawa specifically so that it recognizes and balances the needs of all citizens in their encounters with City services, program and staff, in both English and French pursuant to current policy.
N/A
In 2010, Transit Services has $300,000 in capital spending that has been approved and earmarked for transit facility retrofits. These approved funds will be used to initiate the priority work that needs to be completed at transit facilities. Funding for the temporary full-time position is through capital account 904868. Transit Services will identify and request funding for subsequent years through the annual budget process.
N/A
This comprehensive accessibility audit will now be used by Transit Services staff to prepare a detailed roadmap. As a reflection of the commitment of Transit Services to service excellence, we will create an accessibility roadmap to establish the go-forward strategy. This strategy will address accessibility issues for our customers, including the systematic correction of physical deficiencies identified in the Accessibility Audit, the development and documentation of clear customer service policies and a budget and a timeframe for delivery will be developed. A temporary full-time employee has been assigned this work. The workplan will be tracked and reported back to Council through the City of Ottawa Municipal Accessibility Plan (COMAP).