RTC

RTC scales up wheelchair access at bus stops

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

Wheelchair users who use the Réseau de transport de la Capitale (RTC) to get around the city will have a much more extensive choice of routes in the coming year, the transport authority announced last week.

All of the network’s 158 routes will feature accessible stops as of Dec. 21. Previously, only 14 routes were considered accessible, comprising less than 10 per cent of the network. About 1,400 of the 4,500 stops throughout the network will be accessible, an increase of more than 950.

A change in RTC rules surrounding the use of wheelchair ramps has led to the increase in the number of accessible stops. A 1.5-metre-wide stretch of pavement is considered wide enough to deploy a wheelchair ramp; the previous requirement was two metres. Changing the requirement, in consultation with disability rights organizations, was enough to multiply by 10 the number of accessible stops without doing any roadwork.

“I am delighted with this major step forward for our wheelchair users, who will now be able to move around our network more freely and efficiently. … With more than 1,400 accessible stops that will be in service on Dec. 21, we will exceed the goal we set two years ago, which was to add 1,000 [stops] by 2028,” Coun. Maude Mercier Larouche, president of the RTC, said in a statement.

“This new approach to accessibility for people using wheelchairs, developed in collaboration with the community, is a concrete demonstration of the RTC’s desire to make its network increasingly accessible to people with reduced mobility. This improved offer will allow greater autonomy and spontaneity in the travel of people in wheelchairs,” said Jean-Michel Bernier, president of the Regroupement des organismes de personnes handicapées de la Capitale-Nationale, in a statement.

Mercier Larouche said the RTC intends to continue working to improve accessibility on the regular transport network in the coming years. The RTC also operates the Service de transport adapté de la Capitale (STAC) on-demand door-to-door transit service for people with disabilities who are unable to use the regular network or who are uncomfortable doing so, or who are travelling to or from a destination without an accessible stop nearby, although STAC users must reserve trips at least a day in advance.

RTC spokesperson Véronique Lalande said about 85 per cent of RTC buses are equipped with ramps. Wheelchair users “can now board any bus equipped with a ramp that is at an ac- cessible stop,” she said. “These additional stops give wheelchair users a lot more flexibility.”

Lalande said further information would be made available on the network’s website and mobile app. In the meantime, transit riders with questions can contact the Service d’aide à la mobilité intégrée (SAMI; Integrated mobility assistance service) at 418-627-2511, option 1. The service is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.