New: Non-Accessible Entrance (for Access Bus Passengers) at KGH
Thursday, October 13, 2011
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Here is another bad move by Kingston. Kingston General Hospital has been under major renovations for quite some time and just recently, they opened up a brand new entrance on King St. The bad part is, it has a canopy over the front door that has a height clearance of 9 feet. This height is too low for the Access Bus to fit under. Worse, the entrance is down near the renal unit where, far too many passengers with disabilities, have to go to receive kidney dialysis. I don't get how they could have missed seeing that this would be a problem because the construction started after the Built Environment Standard was well on the way to being drafted. In fact the drafts for public review had both been done. If they had taken the time to read it, they would have seen the following:
This time I can't help but wonder if the mistake is blatant, as opposed to an oversight, because the numbers are out there. They may not be law, but they are published.
For those who like visuals, here is a photo of the new entrance below. The buses can't even stop safely on the road because there is a curve on the road and they would be sitting in a blind spot.
To read more about this new entrance, the date it opened, etc, go to: http://www.kgh.on.ca/en/newsroom/Pages/New-King-Street-entrance-.aspx
Please Read my Other Blogs:
Transit: http://wheelchairdemon-transit.blogspot.com
Health: http://wheelchairdemon-health.blogspot.com
9.18 Passenger Loading AreasA height of 197 inches translates to 16.4 feet. I'm not sure the height of the buses, but if I were to guess, I would say a few of the very tall ones are about 12 feet. The standard obviously provides for enough clearance, but the planners obviously did not.
Rationale
Passenger loading areas are important features for individuals who have difficulty walking distances, for those who use specialized transit or mobility devices, and for those who require someone to accompany them (e.g. a person with low or no vision or a cognitively disability, the very young, and seniors). Passenger loading areas should allow persons to be dropped off or picked up in a safe, convenient, comfortable, and efficient manner. From the loading zone, they will be able to easily access the building or facility they are attending.
Functional Description
This section addresses the characteristics of barrier free passenger loading areas both exterior to and within a building where passengers transfer from vehicles such as cars, vans, taxis and buses, to a pedestrian area which provides an accessible route to a building or other facility. It should be noted that bus stops and bus shelters are not passenger loading areas.
Technical Requirements
9.18.3 Height Clearance
Passenger loading areas shall have a minimum vertical clearance of 5000 mm (197 in) at the loading area and along the vehicle access route to such areas as the site entrances.
This time I can't help but wonder if the mistake is blatant, as opposed to an oversight, because the numbers are out there. They may not be law, but they are published.
For those who like visuals, here is a photo of the new entrance below. The buses can't even stop safely on the road because there is a curve on the road and they would be sitting in a blind spot.
To read more about this new entrance, the date it opened, etc, go to: http://www.kgh.on.ca/en/newsroom/Pages/New-King-Street-entrance-.aspx
Please Read my Other Blogs:
Transit: http://wheelchairdemon-transit.blogspot.com
Health: http://wheelchairdemon-health.blogspot.com
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