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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJune 19, 2024Accessibility Advisory Committee Agenda June 19, 2024 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 7:00 pm Main Committee Room For information related to accessibility requirements please contact: Committee Coordinator 905.420.4611 clerks@pickering.ca Members of the public may observe the meeting proceedings by viewing the livestream. Page 1.Review and Approval of Agenda T. Higgins 2.Disclosure of Interest T. Higgins 3.Approval of Minutes T. Higgins 3.1 May 15, 2024 AAC Minutes 1 4.Presentations/Delegations 4.1 Dan Moran - to speak to programs to assist people who are partially deaf. 7:05 5.New Business 5.1 Site Plans Review Isabelle Janton 7:20 5.2 Elevator Retrofit at CHDRC Dennis Yip Arisa Marangos 7:50 7 5.3 AAC Sub-Committee Update Tim Higgins 8:20 5.4 Electronic Monitoring Systems to Manage Accessible Parking AAC Research Presentation Tim Higgins Kevin Sullivan 8:30 14 5.5 Design of Public Spaces Standards Development Committee recommendations https://www.ontario.ca/page/improving- accessible-built-environment-standards- 2023-initial-recommendations-report Tim Higgins 8:40 Accessibility Advisory Committee Agenda June 19, 2024 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 7:00 pm Main Committee Room For information related to accessibility requirements please contact: Committee Coordinator 905.420.4611 clerks@pickering.ca 5.6 Canada Day Tim Higgins 8:50 6. Correspondence 7. Other Business 8. AAC Member Roundtable Updates 9. Next Meeting – September 18, 2024 10. Adjournment Page 1 of 6 Minutes/Meeting Summary Accessibility Advisory Committee May 15, 2024 Hybrid Electronic Meeting Main Committee Room 7:00 pm Attendees: C. Rudberg-Chin B. Ferguson M. Shackleton K. Sullivan S. Azhar D. Currie Councillor M. Brenner T. Higgins, Accessibility Coordinator (Staff Liaison) J. Currie, Legislative Coordinator (Recording Secretary) A. Mostert, Manager, Landscape & Parks Development R. Mackay, Supervisor, Parking Enforcement Absent: M. Wilson M. Thorpe Ross A. Khan S. Snyders Councillor M. Nagy A. Topple, Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade Item/ Ref # Details & Discussion & Conclusion Action (summary of discussion) Items/Status (include deadline as appropriate) 1. Review and Approval of Agenda Moved by C. Rudberg-Chin Seconded by K. Sullivan That the Agenda for the May 15, 2024, Meeting of The Accessibility Advisory Committee Meeting be approved. Carried 2. Disclosure of Interest No disclosures of interest were noted. 3. Approval of Minutes -C~of- P1CKER1NG - 1 - Page 2 of 6 Item/ Ref # Details & Discussion & Conclusion (summary of discussion) Action Items/Status (include deadline as appropriate) Moved by M. Shackleton Seconded by B. Ferguson That the Minutes of the April 17, 2024, meeting of the Accessibility Advisory Committee be approved. Carried 4. Presentations/Delegations 4.1 Colin Walcott – Improving Accessibility and Eliminating Barriers in Pickering Not in attendance 5. New Business 5.1 Inclusive Community Grant Proposal T. Higgins and A. Mostert provided information regarding an Inclusive Community Grant for the purpose of providing funding for projects focused on improvements to public spaces with accessible enhancements. They noted that the City of Pickering will be submitting a grant application to fund the development of Accessible Trail Signage. With the aid of a slide show, A. Mostert provided a presentation highlighting the City of Pickering’s resource of trails and the benefits of enhancing trail signage to be inclusive and accessible. T. Higgins solicited the Committee Members for input and support of the City’s grant submission. Discussion ensued with Committee Members and Staff regarding: • the importance of colour contrast, durable/weather resistant material, and the addition of braille to the trail signs; • requiring notice that the trail is not continuous with various interruptions to the trail; • requiring notice of the presence of poisonous plants and other hazards; • clarification that the application for the grant is for the design of signage and the launch of a pilot project; and, • should the grant be awarded, there being further consultation, once a rough draft has been completed, with the Accessibility Advisory Committee, other Committees including the Waterfront Visionary Advisory Committee, and other experts in the field. - 2 - Page 3 of 6 Moved by K. Sullivan Seconded by B. Ferguson That the Accessibility Advisory Committee endorses the application for the Inclusive Community Grant for the purpose of designing Accessible Trail Signage and Navigation in the City of Pickering. Carried 5.2 Accessible Playgrounds With the aid of a slideshow, A. Mostert provided a presentation outlining Accessibility Standards for Playgrounds and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) requirements. He provided information regarding various aspects of inclusive playgrounds and the differences between inclusive playgrounds and 100% accessible playgrounds. A. Mostert provided an update on four parks that have been reconstructed since 2021, when an Enabling Accessibility Project began with approved funding from Council. He gave an overview of plans for the Dave Ryan Community Park project plans, to start at end of 2024, and a summary of the City Playground Replacement Program’s ten-year budget forecast. T. Higgins noted that, while there has been some expectation from residents that the reconstruction of playgrounds would provide 100% accessible playgrounds, that the AODA requirements do not provide for full accessibility, and that the City is building playgrounds in which the entire area may not be accessible to all users, but encourages an integrated solution in which children of varying abilities can play together. Discussion ensued between Committee Members and Staff regarding: • including adult features, such as chess boards or water features, in the same areas to create a community environment; • water parks being accessible; • providing a public presentation to highlight the progress of the City Playground Replacement Program hosted by the City, that the Committee Members may attend in support; and, • ensuring restructuring of playgrounds is occurring throughout all three Wards of the City. 5.3 Accessible Parking R. Mackay addressed a number of concerns raised by Committee Member K. Sullivan through discussion with Committee Members regarding: • policies and procedures not being governed consistently from municipality to municipality; • the current process for submitting accessible parking complaints in the City of Pickering being through Customer Care; - 3 - Page 4 of 6 Item/ Ref # Details & Discussion & Conclusion (summary of discussion) Action Items/Status (include deadline as appropriate) • Durham Regional Police Service (DRPS) having the authority to issue parking tickets, however, they are generally not the ones responding to parking issues; • consideration of other approaches to requesting parking enforcement such as “apps”; • the City having open communication with DRPS, and that they are rarely required to be involved with parking enforcement; • there being approximately 100 property owners in the City of Pickering registered to permit private parking enforcement; • the number of Accessible Parking Permits issued being in the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport through Service Ontario; • there having been 129 accessible parking complaints recorded since 2015; • there having been 1188 accessible parking infraction tickets issued by the City in 2023; • there being an opportunity to provide parking permit education followed by cancellation or reduction of an issued ticket; • most tickets being resolved prior to going to court; • enforcement using digital technology being researched and assessed for future use; and, • providing a broad educational campaign to highlight parking by- laws specific to the City of Pickering and adding specific information pertaining to Accessible Parking to the City’s website. 5.4 Sub-Committee Planning Members of the Accessibility Advisory Sub-Committee presented a draft of a Site Plan Accessibility Standards checklist to provide to the City’s Planning Staff as a guideline that Pickering may use. Discussion ensued between Committee Members regarding: • the intent of providing a Site Plan Accessibility Standards checklist to developers being to show the City’s desire to go above legislated requirements; • continuing sub-committee meetings and their meeting with City Planning staff through the summer months; and, • the AODA and Building Code requirements being a minimum standard and that municipalities may opt to “over-regulate”. 5.5 Durham Transit – Update Councillor Brenner provided confirmation that the new scheduling of buses will begin in September of 2024 as a result of feedback from the community, and that On Demand services will continue to meet accessibility needs. - 4 - Page 5 of 6 Item/ Details & Discussion & Conclusion Ref # (summary of discussion) Action Items/Status (include deadline as appropriate) 5.6 Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) Accessibility With the aid of a PowerPoint slide show, C. Rudberg-Chin provided an overview of the Toronto integrated bike and bus lanes and how the TTC ties into the integration. Councillor Brenner provided that at the last Durham Transit Executive Meeting, finalized plans for 36 km of corridor bus lanes are planned on Kingston Road, and that construction will begin in 2025. Councillor Brenner will provide the link to the presentation. 5.7 Council Presentations Planning – May 27, 2024 T. Higgins provided information regarding the May 27, 2024, Council Meeting and requested volunteers to participate in the form of a delegation. 5.8 Canada Day Planning T. Higgins noted that he will send out a chart for Committee Members to sign up to volunteer at the Canada Day Event, hours 10 am – 4 pm. 6. Correspondence There were no items of correspondence. 7. Other Business Councillor Brenner advised that beginning July 1, 2024, there will be a free, accessible, new bus service, Route 100, to the waterfront. The service will be run by Durham Regional Transit and paid for by the City. 8. AAC Member Roundtable Updates There were no updates provided. 9. Next Meeting – June 19, 2024 10. Adjournment Moved by D. Currie Seconded by C. Rudberg That the meeting be adjourned. - 5 - Page 6 of 6 Item/ Ref # Details & Discussion & Conclusion (summary of discussion) Action Items/Status (include deadline as appropriate) Carried Meeting Adjourned: 9:24 pm - 6 - pickering.ca Elevator Retrofit at Chestnut Hill Developments Recreation Complex - 7 - pickering.ca Elevator Buttons Changes to the button height for improved user experience: •Within the elevator cab •Lobby floor call button •Second floor call button - 8 - pickering.ca Mirror Replace existing paneling with new mirror for improved visuals. - 9 - pickering.ca Communications In addition to upgrading the phone line, there will be the ability to communicate through text message and there is a live feed inside the elevators on for 24 hours. - 10 - pickering.ca Hall Position Indicators Hall position indicators to be installed at the lobby floor and second floor. Hall lantern and chime are integrated. - 11 - pickering.ca Hall Station Hall station to be installed to conform to barrier free access heights and incorporate braille. - 12 - pickering.ca Contact Information Arisa Marangos Coordinator – Facilities Capital Projects Operations Department T.905.420.4660 ext.5237 Insert Email: amarangos@pickering.ca - 13 - Electronic Monitoring Systems to Manage Accessible Parking AAC Research –May 28, 2024 - 14 - Overview •Context •Why Monitoring Accessible Parking is Important •Intelligent Solutions for Accessible Parking Management •Parking Enforcement Systems for Municipalities •Benefits and Impediments of Intelligent Solutions for Accessible Parking Management •Benefits of Monitoring Solutions •Impediments of Monitoring Solutions - 15 - Context •At the May 15, 2024 Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) meeting, Robert MacKay –Supervisor of Parking Enforcement Services for the City of Pickering – discussed the enforcement of accessible parking in the municipality. •Mr. MacKay’s presentation included feedback to questions the AAC had previously made available to the City’s By-law Enforcement Section. •Interest was expressed in the use of electronic monitoring systems to manage accessible parking. •The City’s Accessibility Coordinator agreed it would be useful to undertake research on the use of advanced technologies to manage accessible parking – and subsequently share this research with AAC members and Parking Enforcement Services. - 16 - Why Monitoring Accessible Parking is Important •Individuals with disabilities, mobility limitations or certain health conditions generally need to park closer to their destination –either as a driver or a passenger. •Any individual with an accessible parking permit has the right to park in specially- designated parking spaces. •The availability pf accessible parking is a long-standing issues impacting many individuals with disabilities across Ontario. •Enforcing accessible parking presents several challenges, including the scope of the phenomenon, difficulties to prove the offence and limited awareness. - 17 - Why Monitoring Accessible Parking is Important (cont’d) •Scope pf Phenomenon: •The total number of accessible parking spaces, along with the availability of enforcement officers, makes effective enforcement difficult. •Many drivers take advantage of the situation and park illegally in accessible parking spaces –thereby violating the rights of individuals with disabilities. •Difficulties to Prove: •Proof of illegal parking requires visual documentation – this can’t always be done due to a lack of available enforcement officers or lack or awareness about illegal parking. •As a result, it’s difficult to prove the offence and impose fines on drivers. - 18 - Why Monitoring Accessible Parking is Important (cont’d) •Limited Awareness: •Many drivers are unaware of the severity of the harm caused by illegal parking in accessible parking spaces. •Drivers generally think this is a minor offence, which does not cause significant harm. •The lack of awareness contributes to the continued phenomenon of illegal parking in accessible parking spaces. •Continuous enforcement of both digital and on-the-ground regulations is key, and helps improve data management of users of the Province’s Accessible Parking Permit Program (APP) and individuals who illegally park in accessible parking spaces. - 19 - Intelligent Solutions for Accessible Parking Management -Parking Enforcement Systems for Municipalities - 20 - Parking Enforcement Systems for Municipalities •Increasingly, municipalities in many countries (within Central and North America, Europe and Asia) are acquiring and activating smart electronic monitoring systems to manage accessible parking spaces. •These systems include: •Rapid Deployment Cameras. •Sensors Connected to Cloud Databases. •Digital Applications. •. - 21 - Parking Enforcement Systems for Municipalities (cont’d) •Rapid Deployment Cameras: •Motion-detection, infrared video camera equipped with Automatic Number-Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to capture vehicle registrations, identify offenders and issue fixed penalty notices. •Includes integrated video transmission and hard drive for video storage. •Doesn’t require extensive ground work, electronic connections or mains power. •Operates using durable batteries, so absence of power supply connections doesn’t pose a problem. •Has remote connectivity and can be mounted on a wall, corner, existing infrastructure or street furniture. •Features integrated PTP, PTMT, Wi0-Fi or 4G for fast and reliable connections. - 22 - Parking Enforcement Systems for Municipalities (cont’d) •Sensors Connected to Cloud Databases: •Video system with continuous monitoring and documentation option to enforce traffic and monitor parking. •Includes automatic photography and ticket generation and continuous analytics to identify license plates, check them in a database and send messages by email or SMS to enforcement officers about unusual events defined in the system. •Incorporates sophisticated sensors, including image proximity to identify vehicles parked in accessible parking spaces and considers the existence or validity of a permit and type of vehicle. •Can be configured to send real-time alerts to enforcement officers in cases of illegal parking. - 23 - Parking Enforcement Systems for Municipalities (cont’d) •Digital Applications: •Battery-operated sensors with radar and magnetic technology combined with software solution to detect and enforce parking space occupancy and send real-time updates to a central database. •Accessible parking permit holders can sign up to a municipality-run digital service using their smart phones to gain access to database to see where the nearest accessible parking space is located. NOTE: Digital applicati0ns also exist where Bluetooth beacon cards can be placed in an authorized user’s vehicle and controlled by sensors. •Through the digital system, sensors can also detect when someone who has not registered as an accessible parking permit holder is occupying an accessible parking space. •Enforcement officers can pin-point individuals who are parked illegally. - 24 - Benefits and Impediments of Intelligent Solutions for Accessible Parking Management -Benefits of Monitoring Solutions -Impediments of Monitoring Solutions - 25 - Benefits of Monitoring Solutions •Smart electronic monitoring systems to manage accessible parking spaces can optimize the parking experience and improve urban mobility and the community’s quality of life. •Local authorities can gain from improved city planning and resource allocation. •Traffic and Parking By-law enforcement management can experience enhanced operational efficiency and revenue generation through data-driven decision- making. •A Coordinated and automated accessible parking system reduces congestion by letting users know when an accessible parking space is available and lets enforcement officers know when an accessible parking space is illegally occupied. - 26 - Impediments of Monitoring Solutions •Not-withstanding the benefits of smart electronic monitoring systems to manage accessible parking, innovative systems can have some components that merit consideration. •Parking management systems may be costly to purchase and customize, hence it’s important that a municipality evaluates the anticipated Return on Investment. •With any technological solution, it’s important to evaluate on-going system training for staff, maintenance and upgrade/modification costs. •Integration and/or partnership arrangements to access provincial databases (e.g. APP holder and vehicle licensing and registration information) and system compatibility should be considered (e.g. Ontario’s Transportation Information Productions System). - 27 - Thank You! Kevin Sullivan Pickering Accessibility Advisory Committee - 28 -