As TransLink closes fare gates across the SkyTrain system, advocates for people with disabilities are calling for a better solution to make them accessible for everyone.
Gates were closed at all Canada Line and Millennium Line stations Monday, and TransLink hopes to have every Expo Line and SeaBus station follow suit by Friday.
But closed gates, which force passengers to tap in and out using their Compass Cards, present a problem for some people with disabilities, and the short-term fix is far from ideal.
TransLink said most stations will have attendants available to help people through, and it will be keeping the wider accessible gates open when attendants aren’t around.
It’s also implementing a station assistance program that requires riders to call ahead for service.
“Customers that have disabilities that may or may not be able to tap in or out, they’re able to call in advance and we’ll have staff meet them at the system,” said TransLink spokesperson Jennifer Morland.
Disability Alliance B.C. said that won’t do in the long run, and it hopes to see a better system in place as soon as possible.
“People don’t want to have to ask for help. They just want to be able to go on the train when they need to, the same as anyone else,” executive director Jane Dyson said.
Technology that detects when someone in a wheelchair is approaching and opens the accessible gate automatically is one potential solution that would work much better, Dyson said.
Leaving accessible gates open also gives easy access to fare evaders, which is one of the problems the fare gate system was designed to stop.
Jordan Bateman of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation said it’s hard to fathom that these issues exist at all, given the years of work and millions of dollars that went into the Compass system.
“How do they go seven years of planning without having a proper solution for people with disabilities?” Bateman said.
B.C.’s Ministry of Transportation has promised a long-term solution is coming, but it’s unclear what it is or when it will be finalized.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Nafeesa Karim
