AODA Transportation Standards Workshop
Thursday April 7, 2016
AGENDA:
- 8:30 – 9:00 Continental Breakfast
- 9:00 – 12:00 Facilitated Discussion – Conventional Transit
- 12-1:00 – Working Lunch
- 1:00 – 4:30 Facilitated Discussion – Specialized Transit
NOTE:
- The event is free
- Transit system members only
This 1-Day Workshop is designed for transit system members of OPTA.
Consistent with the legislative requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), the Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure (MEDEI) has established a Standards Development Committee (SDC) to review the transportation standards included in the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR). The standards came into effect in 2011, and as such, are now subject to a five year review. The SDC is made up of 15 voting members representing the disability committee and service providers, and 4 non voting members representing Provincial ministries. The public transit sector representatives on the standards development committee are:
- Kelly Paleczny, London Transit Commission (committee chair)
- Eve Wiggins, Toronto Transit Commission
- Dana Earle, Thunder Bay
- Antonia Hammer, Metrolinx
- Piragal Thiru, York Region
Through this workshop, OPTA is establishing a resource committee, made up of representatives from each transit system in the Province, to provide feedback and input to the members of the SDC with respect to each of the standards under review. The agenda for the workshop will be guided by the scope of the review:
Conventional Transit
Conventional transit refers to buses, streetcars, motor coaches or rail-based transportation provided by a designated public sector transportation provider.
The Committee’s work is to:
- Examine options to educate the public on the standard sizes of “prescribed” mobility devices (e.g. wheelchairs) that can be accommodated on most transit vehicles, in the context of the current minimum requirements for the size and quantity of spaces.
- Examine the requirements to provide persons with disabilities with training on the use of conventional transit, upon request.
- Examine potential solutions for the identification of support persons accompanying persons with disabilities using transit within and across jurisdictions.
Specialized Transit
Specialized transit refers to systems designed to transport persons with disabilities, such as Wheel Trans, and accessible taxicabs.
The Committee’s work is to:
- Examine whether current eligibility requirements for specialized transit require clarification and explore options to create universal eligibility criteria across transit providers.
- Examine origin-to-destination requirements and determine whether door-to-door service requirements could be included
- Examine the practice of multiple fares in origin to destination services within the same jurisdiction and determine whether further clarity in the standard is required.
Duties of Municipalities
The Committee should examine options for ensuring that municipalities are meeting the needs of persons with disabilities who use on-demand accessible taxicabs. Municipalities that license taxicabs have requirements under the Standard related to the proportion of accessible taxis, charging fares and the provision of vehicle information.
The Committee’s work is to:
Examine the requirement for municipalities to identify their progress on meeting the need for on-demand accessible taxis and whether municipalities should be required to report on their progress through their multi-year accessibility plans.
Examine the addition of technical specifications for side-entry taxis under Regulation 629, Highway Traffic Act.
Determine whether municipalities should require mandatory general accessibility training when issuing or reissuing taxi licenses.
In addition to the above, the Committee is encouraged to explore the potential impact of new and emerging technologies, such as automated vehicles and smartphone apps, with the goal of promoting the role of next generation innovative technologies in achieving the long-term objective of the Standard to make passenger transportation services accessible for persons with disabilities. OPTA would also like the Committee to examine interjurisdictional transit coordination within Ontario.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact Kelly Paleczny at kpaleczn@london.ca
Room Block:
April 6 and April 7, 2016 at $129.00
For Reservations: (416) 244-1711
Group Code: "OPT"
Reservation Deadline: March 11, 2016
Location:
International Plaza Hotel | 655 Dixon Rd, Toronto, ON M9W 1J3