This newsletter/update is to keep members of CAN, or interested parties, up to date on our monthly meeting, what we discussed, what our plans are for the upcoming month, and any other pertinent information covered during the meeting. We understand that not everyone is able to attend a monthly meeting and hope that this will keep those interested in CAN in the loop. Please let us know if you have any questions or comments concerning our meetings and/or this update by e-mailing us at info@canbc.org, or by phoning (604) 466-8771.
Thank you for you interest. Your ideas, suggestions, and input will help to create positive change in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows. Together we CAN!
We, at CAN, have made quite a bit of progress this past month. During our meeting on February 20th we discussed our many projects and the advancements made since our last meeting.
Our first topic of the evening was the parking situation at the Ridge Meadows Hospital. After many phone calls to many different departments and people in the Fraser Health Authority, we were able to get an answer concerning the question of whether those with the SPARC placards have to pay for parking at the Ridge Meadows Hospital. Don MacAlistar, the Director of Protection Services for the Fraser Health Authority (FHA), was apprised of the confusion surrounding this situation and looked into it for CAN.
The confusion surrounding this subject concerns whether those with the SPARC placard have to pay for parking while parked in the designated handicap spots. Some people have been told that those with the SPARC placards do not have to pay for parking anywhere on site. There was a poster in the rehab department of the hospital notifying people that “Persons with disabilities coming to Ridge Meadows Hospital may park anywhere onsite, in any parking stall free of charge. Your approved identification placard must be clearly visible in your vehicle to avoid ticketing.” People were upset that they were not told about the free parking until after they paid for their ticket. We hoped to clarify the matter, and if the parking was indeed free for those with the SPARC placard we hoped that the FHA would post signs at the parking machines to notify people.
Don MacAlistar looked into the situation and explained that there is no written policy concerning free parking for those with SPARC placards. FHA’s written policy says that every person who parks in a FHA parking lot must pay for the duration of their visit. Mr. MacAlistar said that while there is no policy, written or otherwise, concerning this matter it is understood that "if a person with a disability is unable to purchase tickets their nonpayment will not be enforced". In other words while the FHA expects all visitors to pay for their parking they do understand that some people with disabilities are unable to use the ticket machines. If these people park without a ticket, due to their inability to get a ticket from the machine, their nonpayment will not be penalized. Mr. MacAlistar said that while there is no written policy but there is leniency towards those with disabilities.
While it is nice of the FHA to give us an answer concerning this question it is not an answer that is available in writing, or which is considered a 'policy'. When suggested to Mr. MacAlistar that it is hard to communicate a non-written, non-policy, to those who are confused about the matter he said that the above quote could be used in writing for the purposes of CAN newsletter, but that it would not be available in writing from the FHA.
While this is not the most satisfactory conclusion to this question, it is an answer, and we now have a person to go to if the problem of a ticket occurs. Mr. MacAlistar stated that if anyone who was unable to purchase a ticket due to their disability, and who had the proper SPARC placard, was ticketed that they are to phone him and he will have the ticket reversed. His phone number is (604) 587-3770.
Mr. MacAlistar did apologize for the confusion and the inconsistent messages from the various departments. He assured CAN that the matter would be looked into and that the various departments would be told what the non-written, non-policy is. Please help others with the SPARC placard know what the FHA’s stance is on parking. Since the FHA will not advertise that they are forgiving in parking matters for those with the SPARC placard who are unable to pay due to their disabilities it is up to us to spread the word. If you know of anyone who has a problem with parking, or a ticket please let us know about it.
The next item on our agenda was Translink. There was an article written in The Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows Times concerning the communication between Translink and their customers. This article contained quotes from CAN president Heather McCain. The Vancouver Sun created a smaller version of this article and placed it in the community section of their paper. The appearance of this article in the Vancouver Sun elicited a response from Hansel Wang of Translink. Hansel Wang’s title is '‘Engineer Program Manager, Transportation Engineering, Road and Infrastructure Planning'. Mr. Wang was most keen to help CAN in anyway possible. The various concerns of CAN and it’s members were discussed. Mr. Wang’s assistance helped us to avoid being referred to more voice mails and more departments, and instead pointed us to the direct person to contact concerning the matters of bus stop accessibility.
While speaking to Mr. Wang we learned that Translink is currently creating a new design for the bus stops. We mentioned the need for a more visible decal, preferably a reflective band around the pole at eye-level from the seating area of a bus. He was very responsive to this idea explaining that it was not something they had previously considered because they had not received complaints concerning the small decals in the right hand corner of the top of the bus stop sign. We hope that he not only takes our suggestion into consideration but utilities them when the new bus stop design is finalized later this year.
Mr. Wang told us to talk to Mr. Evans at Coast Mountain Bus concerning the accessibility of the bus stops. We contacted Mr. Evans who explained that CMB will review the accessibility of bus stops as the customers suggest them to CMB. It was suggested to Mr. Evans that the customers of Translink are not aware that they are able to request this service (another breakdown in communication). Mr. Evans suggested that we create a list of bus stops to be reviewed. It was explained that the financial responsibility of making a bus stop accessible is evenly shared by the municipality and CMB.
CAN created a bus stop report to explain the current situation in regards to the new shuttle buses. If you are interested in this one page report please e-mail us at info@canbc.org for a copy. We reviewed various bus stops that should be accessible, such as the stops in front of the hospital, in front of the seniors’ centre, and the bus stops at Maple Meadows which are not currently marked as accessible. While doing the research to create this report it was discovered that CMB has replaced many of the bus stops signs with new signs to indicate that the stops now service shuttle buses. The new bus stop signs do not have the accessible decal in the top right hand corner, even on bus stops that were previously marked as accessible, and which remain accessible. The decal seems to have been overlooked when the new signs went up. This poses a problem as now passengers on the bus, and the drivers, are unable to know for sure which stops are accessible or not. We were not pleased to notice that the decals had been overlooked.
The report on the accessibility of shuttle bus stops was taken to a meeting with Mike Murray, General Manager: Community Development, Parks & Recreation Services, and Mayor Robson. Mayor Robson had asked CAN to create a list of ways to make downtown more accessible. Since accessibility was the point of the meeting the shuttle bus report was discussed as well. Mr. Murray and Mr. Robson were not aware of the situation and were interested to learn about it. They outlined ideas and steps which would assure CMB that the municipality of Maple Ridge wants to work with them to insure the most effective, and accessible, service possible.
It was decided in this meeting that the report would be taken to the Municipal Advisory Committee on Accessibility Issues (MACAI), and a letter would be written to CMB by MACAI explaining the suggestions for improvement. Within the letter we will ask CMB for a timeline of when they believe they will be able to address the issues of accessible bus stops being properly marked, of the possibility of creating a guide of accessible stops fro the passengers and drivers so that there is not such a reliance on the small decals, and creating accessible bus stops where there currently are none.
CAN and MACAI will work together to ensure that CMB and Translink are aware of the issues, and we will work with them to create better service. Translink and CMB have been very receptive to our concerns and we look forward to seeing them take action from our suggestions. MACAI will be inviting both mayors to the next MACAI meeting to discuss this issue as it affects both communities. As the next MACAI meeting is not until after our March meeting there will not be an update until April, unless you want to contact Heather directly (604-466-8771).
CAN will continue to listen to the suggestions of it’s members regarding the transit service and work towards creating positive change. We thank everyone who was involved in letting us know about the situation of limited accessible stops for the shuttle buses.
During the meeting with Mr. Murray and the mayor we discussed the list that CAN compiled to create a more accessible downtown core. This one page document is available upon request. We went through the list and we feel confident that Mr. Murray and Mr. Robson have taken the concerns to heart. It was the mayor who requested the meeting and we are encouraged by his obvious awareness of accessibility issues. The compilation of this list includes issues for those with visual and hearing impairments, mobility devices and strollers, and the comfort of anyone using the downtown area. If you have any suggestions concerning the accessibility of the Maple Ridge downtown area please contact us and we will pass on your concerns.
The meeting went very well and in the end we were pleased with what was said. While no promises were made we know that our concerns have been heard, and this is a very important first step. We will keep members up to date on what develops from this meeting.
In last month’s newsletter we said that CAN had finished creating the accessibility list for reviewing restaurants listed on getmenus.ca. This past month we reviewed our first restaurant - The Frogstone Grill. The Frogstone Grill did very well. CAN is currently tweaking the order of the accessibility checklist for easier reviews. We are also creating a template for the written reviews which will appear on getmenus.ca. By March we will have an easy-to-use accessibility checklist to review restaurants for any member interested in volunteering their time. It took twenty minutes to review the Frogstone Grill and all that is required is a writing utensil, the checklist, and a tape measure. Please contact us at info@canbc.org or (604) 466-8771 if you are interested in helping CAN review the accessibility of restaurants.
The meeting came to a close with a reminder that CAN now has a printable membership form on the web site. If you have not yet sent in your membership information and dues, please do so as soon as possible. If you are unable to afford the $20 fee please let us know and we will see what we can do. The $20 can be paid in installments.
We are hoping to encourage more members to participate with CAN and this requires getting our name out there which will cost some money. While membership dues are easy to put off we ask that you please pay if you are able to do so. Twenty dollars goes a long way and we appreciate the help and the sign of support that you believe in what CAN is doing.
We welcome any feedback concerning CAN’s goals, projects, and/or this newsletter. If you know of anyone interested in joining CAN, volunteering, or receiving the newsletter please let them know about our web site www.canbc.org, and pass on our contact information: e-mail info@canbc.org, phone number (604) 466-8771.
Thank you for you interest. Your ideas, suggestions, and input will help to create positive change in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows. Together we CAN!
We hope to see you at our next meeting on March 20th at the Fraser Room in the Maple Ridge Library from 6:30 - 8:30 PM.
Remember together we CAN!
