Report to / Rapport au :
Accessibility Advisory Committee
Comité consultatif sur l’accessibilité
13 August 2002 / le 13 août 2002
Submitted by / Soumis par : Diane Blais, Coordinator / Coordonnatrice
Contact /
Personne-ressource: Diane Blais,
Coordinator / Coordonnatrice, Accessibility Advisory Committee / Comité
consultatif sur l’accessibilité
580-2424 ext / poste, 28091 / Diane.Blais@ottawa.ca
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Ref N°: ACS2002-CCV-ACC-0012 |
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SUBJECT: |
SAFETY OF TRANSIT CUSTOMERS IN WHEELCHAIRS ON LOW-FLOOR BUSES |
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OBJET : |
SÉCURITÉ DES CLIENTS EN
FAUTEUIL ROULANT À BORD DES AUTOBUS À PLANCHER SURBAISSÉ
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REPORT RECOMMENDATION
That the Accessibility Advisory
Committee receive the above-noted draft report for review/discussion and submit
comments to staff for inclusion in the final report to be presented to the
Transportation and Transit Committee at its 4 September 2002 meeting.
Que le Comité consultatif
sur l’accessibilité prenne connaissance du projet de rapport susmentionné pour
examen et discussion et fasse part de ses observations au personnel afin
qu’elles soient incluses dans le rapport final qui doit être présenté au Comité
des transports et des services de transport en commun à sa réunion du 4
septembre 2002.
The above-noted draft report is being presented to the Accessibility
Advisory Committee (AAC) in order to receive comments before the final report
is presented to the Transportation and Transit Committee for approval at its 4
September 2002 meeting.
Attached, for the AAC’s
review and discussion, is the above-noted draft report from R.T. Leclair,
General Manager, Transportation, Utilities and Public Works.
Submitted by/Soumis par: R.T.
Leclair, General Manager/Directrice générale,
Transportation,
Utilities and Public Works/Transport, services et travaux publics
Contact/Personne-ressource: G.
Diamond, Director/Directeur,
842-3636 ext. 2271, gordon.diamond@transpo.ottawa.on.ca
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Ref N°:
ACS2002-TUP-TRN-0007 |
That the
Transportation and Transit Committee approve the purchase and installation of
lap belts to increase the comfort and stability of customers using wheelchairs
on regular transit at a cost of $130,000 in 2002 and that these belts be
included in the specifications for future buses, noting that the present design
of compartments on the buses meets all applicable safety standards and
regulations.
Que
le Comité des transports et des services de transport en commun approuve
l’achat et l’installation de ceintures abdominales afin d’accroître le confort
et la stabilité des clients en fauteuil roulant qui utilisent le service de
transport en commun régulier, moyennant la somme de 130 000 $ en
2002; et que ces ceintures fassent partie des caractéristiques techniques des
futurs autobus, puisque la configuration actuelle des zones réservées aux
fauteuils roulants satisfait à la totalité des normes et règlements de
sécurité.
BACKGROUND
This report
was prepared in response to a motion brought forward at the Transportation and
Transit Committee meeting of 7 November 2001.
At that time the Committee approved the report on Para Transit Services
– Demand Management Strategies and the following motion was carried:
That staff report to the Transportation and
Transit Committee on the safety issues related to wheelchair security on OC
Transpo low-floor buses.
Low-floor
buses were first introduced in 1997 as part of the Region of Ottawa-Carleton’s
commitment to making regular transit service fully accessible to people with
disabilities. Low-floor buses
incorporate accessible features including low-floor entry, kneeling
capabilities, a retractable ramp at the front door for mobility aid access, and
two rear-facing positions for persons in wheelchairs. By the end of 2002, the low-floor bus fleet will consist of 331
buses.
DISCUSSION
On OC Transpo
low-floor buses, the two wheelchair positions, or compartments for customers
using a mobility aid device, are located near the front of the bus, behind the
operator’s position. This location
provides for wheelchair maneuverability while retaining the maximum number of
seats. Both compartments have a
rearward facing wheelchair position and are equipped with a padded backrest and
floor-to-ceiling mounted stanchion bars.
There are no belts or attaching fixtures. Customers are asked to back into the position so the rear of
their mobility device is up against the padded backboard. They set the brakes on their device and have
a stanchion bar next to them for lateral stability.
During the
Para Transit Demand Management Strategy study process, feedback from the public
was received concerning the comfort and stability of persons in the wheelchair
position on low-floor buses. There was
a perception that the rear-facing compartments were not sufficiently secure and
that there should be some sort of belt system to constrain the movements of
wheelchairs. Questions were also asked
about whether or not the wheelchair compartment meets all legislative
requirements.
The current
rear-facing compartments for wheelchairs on OC Transpo buses meet the
requirements of the Ontario Highway Traffic Act (Regulation 629 - Vehicles for
the Transportation of Physically Disabled Passengers). Under this Act, transit agencies have a
choice of providing forward-facing or rearward-facing wheelchair positions on
low-floor buses. Forward-facing positions
require a full tie-down securement system similar to that used on Para Transpo
buses, which requires the assistance of the bus operator to fully secure the
customer into place. Rearward-facing
positions are classified as ‘compartments’ and do not require additional
belts. They allow customers more
independence and reduce the time taken to board and therefore reduce the impact
on transit operations. Bus operators
ensure that the customer is in the proper position, prior to moving the
vehicle, but operators do not need to assist customers under normal
circumstances.
The safety of
transit customers requires that all mobility aids remain in position during
transportation and that they are confined in the event of a frontal
impact. The configuration of the
compartment minimizes the displacement of mobility aids under normal vehicle
operating conditions. The padded
backrest prevents any movement in the forward direction towards the front of
the bus as the bus decelerates. The
vertical aisle stanchion bar and the wall of the bus prevent any lateral
movements. The brakes on the mobility
aid and the friction between the wheels of the mobility device and the floor
minimize any rearward movements as the bus accelerates. There have been no claims made related to
safety of mobility aid devices on OC Transpo low-floor buses.
A review of
the arrangements for accommodating customers in wheelchairs on low-floor buses,
elsewhere in Canada and worldwide, shows different approaches to this
issue. In some cases customers in
wheelchairs are carried facing forward, in which case a full tie-down system is
needed. In cases where rear-facing
compartments are provided, there is usually no belt provided, although there
are a few examples of simple lap belts being used with rear-facing
compartments. The proposed approach in
this Department is based on these examples.
In particular, Hamilton, Kitchener and Edmonton are using this type of additional
lap belt restraint and the specific belts proposed for Ottawa are in use in
Kitchener.
Although the
current arrangements meet the requirements of the legislation, in response to
the concerns that were expressed by wheelchair users about their perception of
safety when travelling by regular transit, the Department has investigated
options for an additional belt to prevent sideways movement as much as possible
and is recommending that these be installed.
Based on a review of experience elsewhere and consultation with users of
personal mobility devices, the Department is recommending the installation of
belts that retract into a holder on the bus wall beside the wheelchair position
and can be pulled across and attached to the arm of the personal mobility
device.
CONSULTATION
During the
Para Transpo Demand Management study process, a public workshop was held for
persons who use mobility aids. The
workshop was well attended and provided productive dialogue between City staff
and persons in wheelchairs and scooters who use, or may some day use, low-floor
buses. This allowed the public the
opportunity to try out the buses firsthand without the pressures of trying it
when the bus is in regular service.
Some people felt very comfortable with the compartment setup, and others
did not. Input received from customers
has been used to improve the on-bus arrangement and sensitivity training
programs for the bus operators.
In
response to the concerns about the lack of a lap belt restraint on the
low-floor buses, two different prototype lap belts were installed on a
low-floor bus. A special focus group
session was set up with customers who use a wide range of mobility aid devices
and who use regular transit services.
They were invited to a demonstration of the belts. This group provided valuable feedback on the
prototype setup. The group included Charles Matthews, President of Disabled and
Proud, Stephen St. Denis, a member of the former Region Accessibility Advisory
Committee, Sally Thomas, Stephen Tourigny and Bob Brown. Comments were received about the length of
the belt, the location of the device, and the type of connector used. The main concern was that people with
limited use of their upper body would not be able to fasten the belt without
assistance from someone else. The design of the belt arrangement recommended
here is a result of this consultative process.
This
report will be discussed by the City’s Accessibility Advisory Committee at its
meeting of 21 August and any comments will be brought forward at the
Transportation and Transit Committee meeting at which this report and
recommendation are considered.
There
have also been discussions with the Amalgamated Transit Union on this subject
and they are in full support of the initiative. It has been confirmed that, upon request, operators will assist
customers with this belt.
TRANSPORTATION
MASTER PLAN
Providing more
fully-accessible transit services in the future will enable regular transit to
accommodate a much wider range of travellers than today. Since 1997, all new buses purchased have
been low-floor.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
The cost to
retrofit the 331 low-floor buses already owned or ordered for 2002 with belts
would be about $130,000, or $390 per bus. Funding for this would be provided by
forecasted under spending on the Articulated Bus Replacement project 900526 in
2002. For future fleet acquisitions, the cost of the belts would be included in
the price of the buses.
ATTACHMENTS
There are no attachments.
DISPOSITION
Upon approval, Fleet Services would order and arrange for the
installation of belts on all existing low-floor buses as soon as possible. The requirement for lap belts would be
included in the specification for future bus orders. Once available, the new securement feature would be advertised to
Para Transpo customers to encourage increased use of regular transit.