Former TTC CEO Byford Mislead Metro Morning's Matt Galloway on Reason for Inaccessible Stop Request Buttons

For several years I've been complaining to no avail that the new streetcars need to have stop request buttons on every pole next to all the priority seats. And they need to be at seated hand height, like on the buses. This is a safety issue.

Former TTC CEO Andy Byford wrote me on February 27, 2017 that the location of the buttons was on the recommendation of the TTC's Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit (ACAT). This committee is made up of people with disabilities and those who work with them.

He wrote:

"Dear Ms Jeejeebhoy

The design of the new streetcar went through extensive consultation, including detailed review with our Advisory Committee for Accessible Transit (ACAT).

These reviews led to the finalized design that is in service today.

While I appreciate that we cannot please everyone, experience to date and the fact that we involved ACAT in the design tells me that we achieved the right balance.

We will keep this under review but there are no plans for a retrofit.

Regards

Andy Byford"

I responded to him on my website and regret that in that post I became angry with ACAT instead of the real decision-makers who created this safety issue. Threats to one's physical safety tend to make one upset; but ACAT were not the final arbiters of this dangerous decision as I discovered recently. To continue . . .

The official TTC response was Direct Messaged to me on March 24, 2017 through Twitter around about the same time, basically saying the same thing, that this was ACAT's decision.

"We have reviewed your concerns and wish to advise that quantity and placement of Stop Request pushbuttons were a result of multiple demonstrations and reviews by the Design Review Sub-committee of the Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit (ACAT). ACAT has played an integral part of the new streetcar and new subway train design on accessibility matters. On the new streetcars, there is one stop request pushbutton within 1.5m of the centre of any seat on the car, and within 1 metre of the doors. The five (5) priority seats in the Accessible Module (second car section from the front) have two floor-mounted communication stations with Stop Request pushbuttons."

The floor mounted stop request buttons that they reference are specific to those who need the ramp deployed. Push one of those, and the doors will close, the ramp will deploy, person will exit, ramp will retract -- and the streetcar will be held up for the time required to execute all those actions.

A person with balance problems does not need the ramp deployed, only a pole to hang on to, and fellow commuters will not be amused to see their commute slowed down by someone walking down the ramp.

This is a great way to increase prejudice against people with less visible disabilities.

I'd like to mention at this point that people with disabilities, like on ACAT, are probably the most marginalized in society. They have very little power. When you've been sidelined because of your disability, you can be easily persuaded to toe the party line in order to stay "in the group" or persuaded that your thinking is rigid or not quite as knowledgeable as the "experts" aka "normal" people. Even I can be.

Back on September 5, 2017, CBC Radio 1's Toronto morning show Metro Morning held a Facebook Live event with various people on an old TTC streetcar; host Matt Galloway squeezed in my stop request button question for Byford right at the end.

I asked:

"How are people with balance problems supposed to request a stop on new streetcars when no stop request buttons next to every priority seat?"

In the CBC's synopsis of Byford's answers to viewers questions, they completely missed mine out. I wonder why? I found the original video in my Facebook history (sorry, I couldn't figure out how to capture the link) and transcribed Byford's answer.

Byford said:

"Well . . . that was all modelled when we did the design and we consulted extensively with ACAT our accessible um uh accessibility partners for um, uh . . . sorry I'm forgetting the acronym now. The accessible transit committee. And. So it was modelled. You know, we'll keep that under review. If there's a need to adjust the buttons on (cut off) . . ."

The Facebook Live event abruptly stopped at that point. Byford's use of the word "extensive" gave me, and I'm sure Galloway, the idea that ACAT studied this independently, gave full consideration to all disabilities' requirements to ride safely on the new streetcars, and that they recommended this egregious lack of streetcar stop request buttons independently and solely free from any interference from the TTC.

I have discovered what really happened:

"Stop request cords were suggested by ACAT's Design Review Subcommittee (DRS) but were not possible on the low floor streetcars as they would interfere with emergency egress through the windows. With respect to stop request buttons, all seats are within 1.5m from a button. DRS did recommend additional stop request buttons given that customers with balance issues may need to stand up before reaching a button [bolding mine], but it was deemed not practical to add them to every pole in the vehicle. DRS members requested a diagram of all stop request buttons and on further review, ACAT's DRS members agreed that most customers with mobility issues would sit at the mobility device seating area and that the buttons in that area are adequate. It should be noted that the door open push buttons on all doors also function as stop request buttons.

DRS March 5, 2014 meeting minutes:

'The Subcommittee reviewed the diagram of stop request button locations in relation to priority seating. Although there is still the issue of people in club seating being unable to access the buttons, the Subcommittee agreed that it would be unlikely for a person with mobility issues to sit there, and most passengers would trigger a stop request en route to the nearest door. The buttons in the mobility seating area are adequate.'"

". . . the Subcommittee agreed that . . ." They agreed with whom? Who was convincing them to sign off on neglecting this safety issue? Why provide priority seating throughout the length of the streetcar if the TTC thinks customers with accessibility needs are (a) only those with mobility issues and (b) would sit only in the Accessible Module?

And leave alone customers with balance issues, how would an able-bodied customer in a crowded streetcar be able to reach a button "en route to the nearest door" anyway? Are TTC management and design engineers incapable of understanding crowd movements?

ACAT did inform the TTC of the requirements of people with balance problems. It looks like the "multiple" and "extensive" reviews were as a result of the TTC rejecting their recommendations. The line "deemed not practical to add them to every pole in the vehicle" reveals that the TTC decided to exaggerate their request for additional stop request buttons to every pole on the streetcar, thus justifying not putting them on the poles next to all the priority seats and so creating the very safety issue that DRS had flagged. BTW why was it practical to have buttons on every pole in buses but not streetcars? Perhaps the previous General Manager who would've overseen bus design was more attuned to accessibility needs and crowd flow than CEO Byford?

It was the TTC not ACAT who decided that "it was not practical" and it was the TTC not ACAT who created this unsafe situation for people with balance problems.

ACAT was persuaded to agree that the mobility section was adequate. Mobility, in this case, seems to be confined to people who need wheels to get around and ignores those who don't but still need priority seating, poles, and stop request buttons at hand height and within reach of the seat without being forced to stand up and risk falling while the streetcar is moving. And note, there is no way to request the driver to stop because you can't get on at the front and safely walk up and down the angled floor to the Accessible Module when the driver begins driving nor yell for the driver to stop anymore as you're reaching your stop. S/he can't hear us. The one priority seat at the front is impossible to sit on for short people.

In one last effort to show that the TTC was ignoring the needs of customers with balance issues, the DRS of ACAT said, "there is still the issue of people in club seating being unable to access the buttons."

It's the TTC's systemic ableism and bias against inclusive design that lead them to place stop request buttons only in terms of engineering principles with no regard to human use or fallibility. This is why even people with no disabilities can't reach the buttons nor realize that the ones on the doors do double duty to open doors and request stops. There is no universal design built in. The TTC executive didn't want it. From this latest discovery, it seems that they made sure ACAT gave them the okay to be non-inclusive -- and ensured they could scapegoat ACAT if anyone complained.

The question is what is the new CEO going to do? He can no longer claim ACAT recommended this independently. Will Galloway of Metro Morning grill the TTC as to why their CEO deliberately mislead him and his listeners? Will the CBC finally stand up for people with disabilities and not just take at face value whatever the TTC feeds them? What about private media outlets? Will the provincial government force the TTC to abide by the AODA? Will the Ontario Human Rights Commission call the TTC out for their systemic ableism in contravention of the code?

Contact the TTC to complain! Or tweet them or Brad Ross.

Send this post to all your favourite news shows and demand they put the TTC's systemic ableism under the microscope and demand they put those buttons on every pole next to every priority seat. Just like on their buses. We deserve to be as safe as the most able TTC rider! (Who can't request stops either when the streetcar is crowded.)