City staff facilitated a workshop on May 10th for the Committee to review accessibility within the Pedestrian Mall. Areas of concern were addressed and discussed as listed below. An additional issue identified was that of safety. In previous years active transportation devices (such as bicycles, skateboards and scooters) were allowed on the Downtown Pedestrian Mall. While no accidents or near missed were reported to the City, some IAC members identified active transportation vehicles as posing a possible safety concern and potential source of anxiety for some attendees.
The committee suggested that messaging around this issue needs to change. The Committee recommends that access to the Pedestrian Mall be limited to pedestrians and wheelchairs. The IAC Council representative indicated that she would bring these concerns forward to Council for consideration on behalf of the IAC.
Lighting in restaurants was also noted as an area of concern. Often restaurants are not well-illuminated which can make dining difficult for those that are hard of hearing or have impaired vision. The Committee has recommended that Quick Reference Checklists and staff training include lighting information and note the importance of clear aisles and pathways to increase awareness of this issue.
The Committee discussed how the Pedestrian Mall will require accessibility workshops for years to come to make things fully accessible. Many buildings downtown are currently exempt from some accessibility requirements and the City is not responsible for the regulation of building codes, this falls under Provincial jurisdiction. As noted above , Provincial accessibility legislation is being updated and will provide all stakeholders, including the City with regulations that can be followed and enforced. Members suggested the City hold a press conference acknowledging that problems exist with the Pedestrian Mall as well as the steps being taken to correct these problems and increase accessibility in the future.