Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee
Date: Thursday September 24th, 2015
Location: Conestoga Room, Kitchener City Hall
Present:
Greg Moore (Co-Chair), David Kuhn (Co-Chair), Keri Cameron, Sharon Giles, Donna Hartzler,
Amanda Moorehead, Carrie Speers, Brenda Robinson, Kathie Must, Rob Bender, Dawn
Clelland, Lolita Paroski (City of Kitchener/City of Waterloo), Vanessa Lopak (Region of
Waterloo), Kaitlyn Werth (Township of Wellesley), Julie Forth (Township of Woolwich), Shannon
Sweeney (City of Kitchener, Recorder), Councillor Kelly Galloway-Sealock (City of Kitchener),
Councillor Sue Foxton (Region of Waterloo)
Regrets:
Paula Saunders, Andrew Tutty, Mike Shipley, Laura Master, Dawn Mittelholtz (Township of
Wilmot), Julia Sippel (Township of North Dumfries), Councillor Bob Mavin (City of Waterloo),
Guest(s):
Mike Jones (Region of Waterloo)
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Welcome and Introductions
Greg welcomed everyone
Round table introductions
Approval of July Minutes and September Agenda
Moved by Kerri Cameron and seconded by David Kuhn to accept the July minutes.
CARRIED
Moved by Dawn Clelland and seconded by Sharon Giles to accept the September
agenda. CARRIED
Declarations of Pecuniary Interests
None
Accessible on-street parking (Mike Jones - Region of Waterloo - presenter)
Re-cap 2014 Region of Waterloo Council approved 2% of existing streets in Region be
dedicated accessible parking spaces.
Location of spots determined to be in the centre of the core area for ease of access.
Discussion Highlights
City of Waterloo to gain 2 spaces on King St including one north of Princess.
City of Cambridge to gain 6 spaces in total located as close to the core as possible. One
will be north bound King St. at Argyle St., second south bound King St. at Waterloo St.
(near library), third spot to be located northbound King St. at Church St. There will also
be 3 more spaces located on Water. One Water St. at Dickson St., two Water St. north
of Main St., and a third at Water St. at Main St.
An additional spot on King St. in Cambridge is being considered for 2017/2018.
A lot of the accessible spots will be made with the use of 2 existing spots.
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There will be changes made to every spot to follow the specifications of accessible
spots. There will be curb cuts, relocation of planters, relocation of lights and catch
basins.
Mike Jones indicated most spots will be located at the front or back of a row of parking
for ease of access.
Next steps include receiving comments from the Local BIA. Presenting to Cambridge
Accessibility Committee and taking this to Regional Council for Approval.
Questions from GRAAC
The question was asked if metres in Cambridge are accessible. Mike Jones is not sure
if there are metres in Cambridge. Suggestion was made not to metre accessible spots.
A question was asked why the Region is presenting to Kitchener when talking only
about Waterloo and Cambridge. The reason for this is GRAAC is the Regional
Representative and that is what the Region of Waterloo would come to us.
Any questions please send to Vanessa Lopak (Region of Waterloo)
Township of Woolwich Trail (Julie Forth – Township of Woolwich – presenter)
Proposed Trail – Southwoods Development
Discussion:
Located in Elmira
Extension of the existing Lions Ring Trail
Constructed of stone dust surface, with the exception of small section of asphalt around
the storm pond at the south end.
To be constructed in stages, along with new development. Exact timing is not yet known.
The surface will be 3 metres wide packed surface.
Comments from GRAAC
Why is there only a small section of asphalt? The reason is asphalt is not
environmentally friendly. It is only being used over a section where water runs. The cost
is also a factor with asphalt as well as short life span due to temperatures in Canada.
Amanda Moore suggested that there be signage and benches throughout trail.
Sue Foxton suggested that a terms of reference be made for trails.
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Roundabout Position Paper – Brainstorm (Vanessa Lopak- Region of Waterloopresenter)
The Beginning – July 2008
GRAAC Transportation Sub Committee created a letter on roundabouts and pedestrian
refuge islands, submitted to Region of Waterloo and City of Waterloo, copying City of
Kitchener.
Maneuverability – width of crossing islands, slope of crossing islands,
Visibility – use of landscaping, signage placement, visual and tactile markings at
crossings. Use bold yellow curb paint and bright yellow bollards; bold signage
Region of Waterloo staff did provide a follow up letter.
September 24th, 2015 – GRAAC Minutes
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What happened next?
GRAAC submitted letter re: roundabouts to Region of Waterloo, City of Waterloo, City of
Kitchener, including 2008 letter
In response to incident that occurred at Block Line / Homer Watson roundabout
Emphasized pedestrian safety.
Control speed
Educate drivers
Signage
Marking safe place to cross at every location
Concerns presented to Regional Council January, 2012
2012 and Beyond
Attended 2 workshops in 2012 with CNIB and Region of Waterloo staff to identify
possible safety solutions.
Support Canadian National Consumer Advocacy Committee Issue Paper on Accessible
Roundabouts.
May 2013 – made 4 recommendations to Council:
Staff consult with GRAAC
Staff continue to find better practices for roundabout accessibility
Staff develop driver education campaign on pedestrian safety
Support primacy of pedestrians in provincial legislation
Current Situation
All letters/recommendations have been to staff and Council; none are readily available to
the public
GRAAC recent focus on position papers as go-to document on issues of accessibility.
Goal for today:
Brainstorm contents of GRAAC position paper on roundabouts
Find someone to write this paper
Once approved, finalized paper to be posted to GRAAC website
Brainstorm Questions
What is your number 1 concern with roundabouts?
What advice do you have for staff installing a roundabout? What feature/ design/
consideration do they need to include?
Information gathered from brainstorm session
Move crosswalks 10 – 15 metres from roundabouts and keep away from schools.
Limit roundabouts to low volume pedestrian areas.
Increase signage, more driver education and reduce speed limits.
Yield signs need to be made larger so more visible.
Consistent roundabouts: make them all smaller and consistent throughout cities.
Tactile surfaces installed at pedestrian crosswalks.
Put in cameras and fine drivers, penalties similar to red light cameras.
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September 24th, 2015 – GRAAC Minutes
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Transportation Committee Update (Sharon Giles)
Vanessa Lopak (Region of Waterloo) and Sharon Giles met in August, reviewed the
Terms of Reference for the GRAAC Transportation Sub Committee. Will be meeting
Paula Saunders and GRAAC Co-Chairs in early October to draft scope of
committee. Plan to have draft Terms of reference by end of October, for the committee
to review.
Upcoming work of the committee will be to draft response to Taxi By-Law, most likely at
the November meeting.
The president of Uber did contact us, asking to present accessibility features of Uber to
the group. So far he has been unable to make any of the GTSC meetings, but we hope
to work out a time in the future for him to talk with the group. This will help inform our
response to the Taxi By-law.
Upcoming topics for the remainder of 2015:
October 15th – ION – construction accessibility (to be confirmed)
November 19th – Taxi By-Law (update presentation; brainstorm response)
December 10th – GRT update (snow removal plan, smart card update)
All meetings will be held 1-2:30p.m., in room 217 at 150 Frederick St. Agendas will go
out to the whole committee 1 week in advance. Come if you can, and an RSVP to
Vanessa is always appreciated.
Comments made by GRAAC
Co-chairs decided Uber cannot come to GRAAC as it is a private company.
Councillor(s) Report(s)
Sue Foxton (Region of Waterloo) encouraged GRAAC to be present at council meetings
at least once a year.
Sue Foxton also pointed out that Uber is only held to customer service standards not
transportation standards.
Co-chair/Staff Reports
Reminder for GRAAC members to be prepared for meetings. Please take time to read
information provided ahead of time. If you need copies or accessible formats please
request through Lolita Paroski.
At the July 23, 2015 GRAAC meeting City of Waterloo staff presented the Draft City of
Waterloo Accessibility Standards Guide. GRAAC provided comment to staff at that
meeting.
Lolita sent an email to all GRAAC members on July 24, 2015 informing GRAAC
members that they have until August 28, 2015 to reply back to Sasha Oliveria if they
have any further comments on the Draft City of Waterloo Accessibility Standards Guide.
The draft guide and Sasha’s email contact was included. Lolita was informed from the
City of Waterloo that no additional comments were sent after the July GRAAC meeting.
Now the draft guide is being reviewed by the City of Waterloo Staff with a deadline of
October 12. If anyone still wants to provide comments please send to Lolita by October
9.
September 24th, 2015 – GRAAC Minutes
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Lolita forwarded an email to all GRAAC members on September 22, 2015 from Josh
Joseph to view the draft Iron Horse Trail Strategy and provide feedback by September
27th. So far Josh Joseph received 850 comments he is putting this information together
to take to Council
Vanessa shared that GRAAC is currently at maximum (15) membership. Therefore we
will not be doing a GRAAC member recruitment this fall.
Greg reminded all members to please limit your questions to one to allow all members a
chance to speak around the table.
Motion to Adjourn by Carrie Speers, seconded by David Kuhn and carried.
Next meeting is Thursday October 22nd, 2015 at Kitchener City Hall in the Conestoga Room
September 24th, 2015 – GRAAC Minutes
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