For those interested in transit for disabled persons, below is an article
published yesterday in the local newspaper. Halifax is the province's
capital city, is the largest city in our part of the country and has over
325,000 residents. Twenty per cent of the population is disabled in some
way. Lilith
Wednesday, January 5, 2005 Back The Halifax Herald Limited
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Transit letting down disabled
By MARILLA STEPHENSON
FOR A PLACE that likes to bill itself as a world-class small city, Halifax's
transportation services for people with disabilities is a disgrace.
Advocates within that community have been complaining for years about the
poor service for those unable to use traditional public transit. In the past
few weeks, things have become even worse.
And the best we can get from our elected officials is this sort of drivel:
"We have to be willing to incorporate those opportunities in our standard
practice and process," Mayor Peter Kelly said last month, in suggesting the
implementation of dual-access cabs and mandated accessible cabs.
His comment, which can hardly be described as a rallying cry for change, was
in response to news that the city's only accessible taxi service, formerly
provided by Ace-Y Taxi, was being eliminated due to costs.
How, exactly, will forcing the taxi industry to provide accessible cabs - in
other words, vans - help it deal with the cost? Clearly, the city is going
to have to get into the game with subsidized service for these residents.
Metro Transit's Access-A-Bus program, while helpful to those who actually
manage to get a ride, is falling far short of the need.
And then, when we get hit by a lot of snow, such as on Dec. 27, service by
wheelchair accessible low-floor buses has to be tossed until the streets are
cleared. Not that the city is particularly speedy about that, either.
OK, 45 centimetres is a lot of snow. But by late the next afternoon, I was
sitting in traffic in Bayers Lake, along with hundreds of other folks,
watching Metro Transit passengers jumping out of buses and cutting across
Chain Lake Drive in a dangerous flurry amidst moving traffic.
No crosswalks, no sidewalks, no bus stop curb cuts. No planning, apparently.
On top of it all, limited snow clearing - in short, a disaster waiting to
happen.
If it was that difficult for the able-bodied to get around, imagine the
struggle for those in wheelchairs. Just take a look at the downtown curb
cuts, and properties that repeatedly fail to adhere to snow removal bylaws,
even days after a snowfall, then ask just how serious city hall is about
making life easier for people with disabilities.
Lauchie Rutt, executive director of the Nova Scotia branch of the Canadian
Paraplegic Association and a longtime advocate for the disabled, says
Halifax is already trailing similar sized cities in terms of transportation
services for the disabled, and that the loss of the city's single accessible
taxi is a "major catastrophe" for disabled residents.
The city has 17 Access-A-Bus vehicles, but they have to be booked in advance
and are often not available. Halifax Coun. Gary Meade, who sits on two
committees that deal with transportation for the disabled, says there are
800 to 900 requests a month for rides that cannot be handled by the service.
And if you don't live in the urban core, you're out of luck altogether.
The mayor has rightly pointed out that provincial law prevents the city from
dealing with a private contractor to provide a subsidized service. Kelly is
correct to say that this should be changed.
The province should move quickly to amend the legislation, and also consider
whether it should provide additional funding for transportation for the
disabled. Services for the disabled fall under the Community Services
Department, even though the city is responsible for transit.
Still, why did Halifax have to lose its only accessible taxi before the
lights came on at city hall?
A short dance around a federal government website that lists transportation
options for disabled residents in Canadian cities appears to support Rutt's
statement that Halifax is lagging behind.
Winnipeg has 15 options, there are tons of them in Toronto, Calgary has a
handful, Regina several, and even Moncton and Fredericton have at least two
choices.
Halifax, that great little growing city by the sea, is down to one.
I am glad to see that more low-floor buses have been purchased. These
vehicles allow the more mobile members of the disabled community to use
regular Metro Transit routes. But things are still falling far too short for
people for whom this is not an option.
We are great when it comes to talking about equality and rights for folks
with disabilities. But where is the action? Can you imagine having to book a
bus ride a week or more in advance? How on earth can we expect to encourage
independence and productivity from people with disabilities when we treat
them in such a condescending fashion?
It's past time to get this issue rolling at city hall.
Marilla Stephenson's column appears Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
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