What to know
- The AODA Alliance is criticizing Metrolinx for installing a nearly 80-metre accessibility ramp instead of an elevator at Finch West Station.
- Chair David Lepofsky says the three-section ramp is difficult for many riders with disabilities, seniors and people using strollers.
- The group is questioning why Finch West Station lacks an elevator while Cedarvale Station includes one for accessible transfers.
- The organization has requested a meeting with Metrolinx and is seeking information about the accessibility advice used during the station’s design.
Accessibility advocates are criticizing Metrolinx after the transit agency installed a lengthy accessibility ramp, instead of an elevator, between the newly opened Finch West LRT and TTC Line 1 at Finch West Station.
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance (AODA Alliance) says the design creates an unnecessary barrier for people with disabilities and is urging Metrolinx to install an elevator to provide a more practical and equitable connection between the two transit lines.
Earlier this week, the advocacy group posted a video on social media describing the ramp as “the stupidest ramp in the world” while highlighting the challenges it says riders face when transferring between the Finch West LRT and the subway.
Advocates question station design
In the video, AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky says the only accessible route between the two lines is an approximately 80-metre (261-foot) ramp made up of three separate sections connected by landings.
“It goes up, and then there’s a landing. Then you switch to the second part, and then there’s a landing, and then the third part,” Lepofsky says in the video.
By comparison, he says the staircase between the two levels consists of about 23 steps.
“I’ve never seen a ramp in a building that expects you to go up an entire floor using a ramp,” he said.
“I’m sure it’s good if you’re a Paralympian or a heavy-duty weightlifter, but for many people with disabilities, elderly people, people using strollers, people who just can’t handle stairs, an 80-metre ramp is just plain absurd.”
Lepofsky said he walked the ramp at a steady pace in about one minute and 45 seconds, adding that the journey would likely take longer for someone using a wheelchair or other mobility device.
The advocacy group argues that an elevator is required to travel between different levels of a transit station.
Comparison to Cedarvale Station
The AODA Alliance says the design is especially difficult to understand given that Cedarvale Station, another newly built interchange connecting Line 1 and the recently opened Line 5 Eglinton, includes an elevator for accessible transfers.
“They don’t expect you to have to go up a ramp like this, so why on earth did they do that at this new station? It makes no sense,” Lepofsky said.
Calls for answers from Metrolinx
In a Facebook post, the organization shared an email Lepofsky sent to Metrolinx CEO Michael Lindsay requesting a meeting with those involved in designing Finch West Station.
“Can we hear the accessibility advice Metrolinx received on whether a ramp but no elevator would be sufficient, and on how the ramp was designed? It would also be very helpful to you and us if we can obtain the written accessibility advice Metrolinx received from any source,” Lepofsky wrote.
The group is also asking Metrolinx to explain why an elevator was not included in the station’s design and whether the decision could be revisited.
The latest criticism is not the first time the AODA Alliance has raised concerns about Metrolinx projects.
The organization said it met with the transit agency in June to discuss wayfinding features on Line 5 Eglinton, including concerns about navigation for blind and low-vision riders.
Metrolinx has not yet publicly responded to the group’s latest concerns.
