To Access TO
Yesterday, Chris and the kids and I took the Go train to our old stomping ground, Toronto. As much as we have great memories of this place we were reminded of some annoying, Big City, things on this visit.
It all started on the GO train. We were traveling with the kids so we had a stroller with us... Well, to get to an elevator was a walk across the parking lot, then one arrives on the track platform one realizes they must walk quite some distance to get to the train... let alone the doors that are accessible with a ramp. In Toronto the train stops with the accessible doors close to the elevator. We leave the GO station and head for the subway... their elevator is BROKEN! Chris and I grab the ends of the stroller and carry it down the stairs... The next elevator to the subway level is working.
At the St. George's station, our destination, the elevator is, again, at the very end of the platform, and we took the wrong one! Apparently there is one for street level and one for transferring to buses etc. We got off in the bus transfer area and snuck out through the restricted area so we wouldn't have to go back in!
The kids and I went to the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) while Chris went to the music library at U of T. Audrey slept most of the time and Sam had a great time discovering things. The elevator was very big here... however, this building was obviously built before accessibility was mandatory. When you got off the elevator there was a small flight of about 8 steps to climb! They had a little electric lift on the railing that had to be unstrapped and set up and then moved like a snail! I hauled the stroller up the stairs on my own! This happened on three floors.
We adventured back into the subway to go downtown to shop at MEC. This station was not accessible at all. Chris and I carried the stroller down two steep, long flights of stairs and then went up the escalator (not advised! Very scary to get off!) at the other end. We lifted the stroller on and off a streetcar. We decided to walk back to the GO station instead of taking a streetcar. We then took another escalator to the GO track platform because we couldn't find the elevator for that platform (again, not advised!) The return to the starting GO station, took us to the far ends of the platform again and a walk across the parking lot... again. My dad called our cell phone to find out if we had missed the train because he'd seen all the other passengers leave with no sign of us!
All this and it doesn't even touch on the issue of doors!
Anyway, I have a new found respect for anyone who uses a wheelchair! This was a frustrating and tiring day!
But, we still some had fun.
It all started on the GO train. We were traveling with the kids so we had a stroller with us... Well, to get to an elevator was a walk across the parking lot, then one arrives on the track platform one realizes they must walk quite some distance to get to the train... let alone the doors that are accessible with a ramp. In Toronto the train stops with the accessible doors close to the elevator. We leave the GO station and head for the subway... their elevator is BROKEN! Chris and I grab the ends of the stroller and carry it down the stairs... The next elevator to the subway level is working.
At the St. George's station, our destination, the elevator is, again, at the very end of the platform, and we took the wrong one! Apparently there is one for street level and one for transferring to buses etc. We got off in the bus transfer area and snuck out through the restricted area so we wouldn't have to go back in!
The kids and I went to the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) while Chris went to the music library at U of T. Audrey slept most of the time and Sam had a great time discovering things. The elevator was very big here... however, this building was obviously built before accessibility was mandatory. When you got off the elevator there was a small flight of about 8 steps to climb! They had a little electric lift on the railing that had to be unstrapped and set up and then moved like a snail! I hauled the stroller up the stairs on my own! This happened on three floors.
We adventured back into the subway to go downtown to shop at MEC. This station was not accessible at all. Chris and I carried the stroller down two steep, long flights of stairs and then went up the escalator (not advised! Very scary to get off!) at the other end. We lifted the stroller on and off a streetcar. We decided to walk back to the GO station instead of taking a streetcar. We then took another escalator to the GO track platform because we couldn't find the elevator for that platform (again, not advised!) The return to the starting GO station, took us to the far ends of the platform again and a walk across the parking lot... again. My dad called our cell phone to find out if we had missed the train because he'd seen all the other passengers leave with no sign of us!
All this and it doesn't even touch on the issue of doors!
Anyway, I have a new found respect for anyone who uses a wheelchair! This was a frustrating and tiring day!
But, we still some had fun.
4 Comments:
Gee, it all sounds so familiar somehow.
I have to say, as much as I do not want to live the rest of my life in the US, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has made a big difference in my quality of life here. The ADA stipulates that all public buildings and services must be asccessible, so I can ride public transportation anywhere, and go to a restaurant and never call ahead. This makes a difference for families, too. I am often on the elevator with strollers.
The only institution that successfully lobbied to be exempt from the ADA was the church, by the way. I still have to call ahead to worship in a new place.
WOW sounds like a pain in the butt. Glad there was SOME fun to be had in that tiring day.
Hope your next day was funner!! BTW I just left a long comment on your blog entry "stupid". A little late but I have been working a lot lately (kids are in BC so am working full time right now).
OK - I always forget whether it is 'more fun' or 'funner'. Lets just say, I was better at math.
Post a Comment
<< Home