THUNDER BAY - Members of the Accessibility Advisory Committee presented at Tuesday’s Thunder Bay Police Services Board meeting, raising issues of privacy, safety, and accessibility with regards to pedestrian safety, taxi services, and criminal background checks.
Tessa Soderberg, a member of the advisory committee, told the board that recently installed pedestrian crossovers on city streets can be dangerous for people with visual impairments, because there is no way to know if a driver is going to stop.
“I had three drivers pass me, one after the other,” Soderberg said. “Every time I step into a crossover, it’s like playing a guessing game.”
Being visually impaired, Soderberg said she is unable to make eye-contact with drivers, which is one of the visual cues for drivers approaching a crossover with flashing yellow lights.
Soderberg said she would like to see more education in the public regarding how crossovers work and the responsibility of drivers to be more aware of people of all abilities needing to cross.
“I think the crossovers is something the city has responsibility for, but we will work our traffic people to see how we can make those as safe as possible for pedestrians using those,” said Thunder Bay Police Services Board chair, Jackie Dojack.
Another concern brought forward during the meeting was the issue of privacy, specifically regarding criminal background checks. Soderberg said there are no accessible computers available at the Balmoral Street Police Headquarters and if individuals require assistance filling out forms, there is no separate, private room to provide spoken personal information.
Dojack said issues of privacy is something that can be addressed fairly simply and the Police Service will work with the third party organization that conducts background checks to ensure the needs of all people are met.
Regarding the issue of taxi fare increases, Kai Crites, also a member of the Accessibility Advisory Committee, said despite the fare increases, there is often a lack of evening or overnight service for people living with a disability.
“That means someone in a wheelchair who goes out to socialize may not be able to get home,” he said.
“If someone in a wheelchair wakes up at two in the morning with a stomachache and needs to go to the hospital, they will need to take an ambulance.”
The new draft of the taxi bylaw is expected to return to council this spring and Thunder Bay counc. Brian McKinnon said he and Dojack will look at the bylaw and the possibility of including stronger language that reflects the concerns brought forward by the advisory committee.
“I think what surprised me most is as an individual who is not classified as having a disability is how we just don’t think about the things that a person with a disability has to deal with on a daily basis, in some cases on an hourly basis,” Dojack said. “It’s not that we intentionally are saying it is not important, we just don’t have any idea.”
