New Para Service Brings In Numerous Safety Concerns / Complaints!

Today, January 1st the City of Ottawa officially took over the Para Transpo Contract but for many of the drivers and passengers the list of complaints is already extensive!

Some complaints include:

• Malfunctioning ramp controller. On one bus the ramp started to go down before the passenger was ready and the driver was not pushing the button. The ramp continued all the way down without the assistance of the driver! (it was my understanding that the driver was going to ask to have the bus pulled off the road)
• Lack of emergency lighting inside of the bus. (the red lights are missing)
• Steep / narrow steps
• Seatbelts that are too tight
• There is only one extension seatbelt in the bus which is needed to use the shoulder/lap belt and or to tie a walker down. The walkers are now placed in front of one of the passenger who is using a wheelchair or scooter on the right side of the bus which means that in a sudden stop the items on the walker could cause injury to this passenger.
• No seatbelt cutter was visible for emergencies.
• A new pulley system to assist with drivers getting one tie down is too high forcing the driver to reach. The wire leading down to the tie down could also pose a potential danger for passengers who like to grab at things. There is also only one pulley system for the first chair on the left side.
• The placement of the wheelchair or scooter on the right side of the bus may not allow for someone in a manual chair (paraplegic) who wants to transfer to get close enough to the bench seat to safely transfer.
• The placement for the third wheelchair (back left side) does not allow room for another scooter or wheelchair to access the ramp from the inside and or to get off the ramp inside.
• The driver seat console is in the way for the driver. At the present time it is located on the right side of the driver. In this console is the driver's portable radio which means that the driver while driving has to reach to the side and back to locate it. (the consoles used to be to the right and front of the driver) The present location also creates a problem for drivers who do not want to get out their door to come around.
• No brooms, snow brushes or shovels were on board.
• The two buses I was on today were sliding all over the place
• Too much wasted space on the right inside area.
• Loss of one bench seat means that only up to four ambulatory passengers instead of six can be accommodated. A serious problem will arise if you have two passengers who need two seats each.
• Loss of the fold up bench seat means that a person with a disability who cannot bend their leg(s) is now forced to sit in the regular seat and must figure out how to manage.
• The loss of the fold up bench seat could also result in a decrease number of ambulatory passengers being able to book especially in the evening and on weekend when taxis are not used. It could also mean that if two ambulatory passenger want an escort that a person using a mobility device and wanting an escort could be denied.

Other Safety Concerns Include:

The buses are much higher meaning they can no longer access underneath canopy's. Many residents of apartment buildings etc will now have to board at the street and with the poor snow removal this could prove dangerous or buses may be forced to back up which is again a safety issue for pedestrians and other motorists.

The buses are now wider and could be forced off some side streets, especially where there is a combination of parked cars and snow banks. Many cars in both directions on side streets are getting stuck behind the buses while they get their passengers on and off. My pick up tonight created a back up in both directions!

Considering Para decided to delete one wheelchair position and one fold down seat there was no reason to make these buses longer. There was also no reason to make the higher or longer.

For a new service it is sad that there are so many safety concerns that have been over looked. The City should prepare themselves for a high number of complaints from drivers, passengers and motorists! January 2nd should prove to be very interesting and may break record highs for the number of complaints the City and or Para gets in one day!

Catherine Gardner

Community Advocate / Freelance Photojournalist www.pbase.com/catherinegardner

(613) 726-3609 (Voice / TTY)

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