Preventative and Emergency Maintenance of Accessible Elements in Public Spaces

Pursuant to the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (section 80.44) under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, the TTC has procedures in place for preventative and emergency maintenance of accessible elements in its public spaces. Accessible public space elements maintained by the TTC include exterior paths of travel, such as walkways, stairs, and ramps, where these elements are not already covered by the Ontario Building Code, and parking lots.

The TTC’s procedures include the following:

• Managers of the workforce areas responsible for maintaining accessible elements in the TTC's public spaces, in conjunction with appropriate personnel, will develop preventative maintenance schedules, as required, to keep the elements in good working order or restore them to their original condition when necessary.
• To the extent possible, notice regarding any disruption to accessible elements due to planned maintenance or repairs impacting customer accessibility will be posted in advance, including information about the disruption, its anticipated duration, and a description of alternative accessible elements that may be available. This notice may be provided by posting notices in a conspicuous place on TTC premises, the TTC's website and/or such other method as is reasonable under the circumstances.
• TTC personnel will inspect applicable accessible elements that are available for use by the public on TTC premises on a regular basis. Any elements that are found to have defects or need maintenance will be identified and reported to TTC's Industrial Maintenance or Transit Control centres so they can be addressed. Typically, a work order will be generated and sent to the workforce area responsible for maintaining the elements and, upon review, arrangements will be made to dispatch the appropriate crew(s), personnel and/or contractor(s) to correct the defect(s) or perform the necessary maintenance.
• In the event the TTC receives third party information that an accessible element needs maintenance or repairs, the information will be sent to the applicable workforce area, so the element can be inspected and appropriate action taken, as noted above.
• In cases where it is determined that emergency maintenance or repairs to an accessible element are required, the element will be taken out of service and the necessary repairs will be assessed and addressed as a priority.
• To the extent possible, TTC personnel will ensure steps are taken to divert individuals from accessible elements that are not in working order or pose a danger to safety, and to provide information regarding any alternate useable elements that exist.  Steps taken may include putting in place barriers and temporary wayfinding signage, and/or posting notices, as indicated below.
• Notice of a disruption to an accessible element due to unplanned maintenance or repairs will be provided as soon as practically possible and, to the extent possible, will include information about the disruption, its anticipated duration, and a description of alternative accessible elements that may be available. This notice may be provided by posting information notices in a conspicuous place on TTC premises, the TTC's website and/or such other method as is reasonable under the circumstances.