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Disability advocates are slamming Ontario’s provincial transit agency for not having an elevator connecting Line 6 to Line 1 at Finch West Station, calling the accessible ramp in its place the “stupidest ramp in the world” that creates an “illusion of accessibility.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Alliance, an advocacy group that campaigns for effective implementation and enforcement of provincial accessibility standards, put out a YouTube video about the ramp Monday. It featured group chair David Lepfosky, who is blind, navigating the ramp and talking about the challenges it presents.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The video shows a ramp with three inclines broken up by two landings. In a news release Monday, the AODA Alliance said the ramp was 261 feet long, which is nearly 80 metres. <\/p>\n
“If you’re powering your own wheelchair up this ramp, I hope you’re a Paralympian and you’ve got that kind of upper body strength, because you’re going to find it exhausting,” Lepfosky told CBC Radio’s Metro Morning Monday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lepofsky said it was “shocking” that Metrolinx didn’t think of installing an elevator at Finch West Station when Line 6 was built. <\/p>\n
“Imagine having to go up a whole floor in a building vertically, 11 feet vertically, because that’s the distance you have to go up from Line 6 to Line 1,” Lepofsky said. <\/p>\n
Lyndsay Miller, spokesperson for Metrolinx, said it remains dedicated to building a “safe, accessible, and inclusive” transit system. <\/p>\n
“We recognize the importance of ongoing feedback and continuous improvement. Metrolinx is pursuing\u202fuser testing with individuals representing a range of disabilities to better understand customer experiences,” she said in an emailed statement Monday.<\/p>\n
Miller said Metrolinx consulted with the TTC and its advisory committee on accessible transit on the design of the connection between Line 6 and Line 1.<\/p>\n
Stuart Green, spokesperson for the TTC, said the transit agency remains “committed to making the system accessible to all.”<\/p>\n
The TTC has a five-year accessibility plan in the works for 2024-2028. A progress report<\/a> will be considered when the TTC board meets Wednesday. <\/p>\n WATCH | The accessibility ramp that connects Line 6 to Line 1 at Finch West Station:<\/p>\n Ramp doesn’t deliver ‘reality of accessibility’: advocate<\/p>\n Lepofsky did note that there is a flight of stairs next to the Finch West Station ramp, but not everyone with a disability would be able to use them.\u00a0In addition to people who use wheelchairs, those with strollers or facing chronic fatigue and pain would also be affected, he said. <\/p>\n