With the remainder of the light rail transit vehicles undergoing testing, city officials are making sure the finest details are not overlooked.
These details include accessibility features to allow all of the region’s residents to use transit.
There are auditory, visual and tactile clues all along the platforms to promote easier accessibility.
“Our stations, all of the vehicles are fully accessible,” explained Kevan Marshall, a GRT planner with the region, earlier this month.
That’s a claim that’s being audited by the Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee, who got to test ride the route almost a month ahead of schedule.
“We were able to get out and audit 17 of the 19 Ion stations to see how things were going to be,” explains Paula Saunders.
Saunders uses a wheelchair. She says that she can’t board the LRT at the front of the vehicles because of the way the aisles are structured, meaning she has to use the accessible doors in the centre.
“Anybody with a mobility aid or device can use these doors easier, they’re a little bit more accessible because it opens wider,” he said.
There are also designated areas for those with mobility devices, and a button that can be pushed to let the driver know that they need to keep the doors open longer.
While Saunders is excited for service to begin, she says they have been advised that there are still about 10 per cent of the recommended changes to be tweaked from an accessibility standpoint.
The region has just under a month to achieve those changes, with a set start date of June 21.
