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OC Transpo says it has temporarily closed bathrooms at all Line 1 LRT stations due to a broad increase in vandalism and “needle use.”
Sabrina Pasian, the transit service’s chief safety officer, confirmed the move in an emailed statement to CBC on Tuesday.
Pasian said OC Transpo is mulling both short- and long-term measures including “enhanced “monitoring” — though stations are already regularly patrolled by special constables and monitored by CCTV cameras — and the installation of secure needle disposal boxes “as part of a harm reduction approach.”
“Our Special Constables Unit continues to focus on maintaining a safe transit system while also supporting vulnerable individuals,” according to the statement.
“We recognize the inconvenience caused to customers and transit riders when the washrooms are closed and will continue to keep them informed as we work to restore access.”
Concrete flushed down Bayview station toilet
Barrhaven East Coun. Wilson Lo said a few residents have asked him over the past couple weeks about the closed bathrooms at Tunney’s Pasture station.
“Unfortunately, OC Transpo’s washrooms are frequent targets of vandalism, drug use, and more,” Lo wrote on Facebook.
In one “particularly severe case” of vandalism, Lo said the floor at Bayview station had to be excavated after concrete was flushed down the toilet.
In another incident, needles were found in a Bayview station bathroom on Feb. 20. The city is doing a “risk assessment,” and timelines and “associated costs” are still being determined.
OC Transpo announced on Feb. 20 that it was temporarily closing all Line 1 station washrooms.
According to a city councillor, concrete was flushed down a toilet at Bayview station, necessitating repairs. (Olivia Robinson/CBC)
LRT station washrooms are maintained and repaired by Rideau Transit Maintenance (RTM), according to the city.
That’s the same arm of the consortium that’s currently working with the city to resolve the root issues behind two wheel assembly problems on Line 1. The latest of those issues has resulted in reduced service on Line 1 since it was detected in January.
On top of that, the city and RTM are assessing the scope of repairs needed to repair the station bathrooms.
“[We’ll] notify customers once facilities reopen,” the city said in an email on Monday.
Stations are under camera surveillance, the city says. (Guy Quenneville/CBC)
Troy Charter, who has just left his job as interim general manager of transit services but remains with OC Transpo, told CBC on Tuesday that the extent of damage varies from washroom to washroom.
“It’s damaging the toilet, ripping the sink faucets out of the wall, those types of things,” he said. “Obviously we need to fix those washrooms, but at the same time, what measures can be put in place to try to curtail the behavior that we’re seeing?”
“We’re trying to get them open as soon as possible,” Charter added.
Lo said it’s prudent for OC Transpo to only reopen them on a “sustainable” basis.
“You don’t want to open it for a week then have to close it again for a long time,” he said.