Wheelchair access improvements

By Miriam Ostermann, Associate Editor

When targeting wheelchair accessibility, Strathmore left its minority in the lurch for decades, unable to access downtown businesses or public washrooms.
Shortly after roads reopened up to downtown business, the Canada 150 Downtown Enhancement Project became the subject of controversy when ramps leading to the handicapped parking stalls remained obsolete.
In order to address the problems and work towards a more wheelchair- and walker-friendly town, additional upgrades took place over the past week to eliminate further barriers.
In the past, Strathmore’s downtown core contained five wheelchair stalls and only one direct access ramp. Keeping its population in mind, town staff increased the number of stalls and recently provided additional ramps for a total of eight on-street all-abilities parking stalls, two on-street Handibus loading stalls, and seven wheelchair ramps.
In addition, the Downtown Enhancement Project included ramps leading up to the doors of several local businesses where possible – combating engineering codes and lack of available space.
While accessibility in Strathmore’s downtown increased dramatically, the planning department was rushed on the details of the project.
“We did what we could, but there’s a limit to any redevelopment: limits of where the building entrance is, how much room to work with (and) utilities, and we tried to do our best and give some businesses a ramp,” said Chuck Procter, planner for the Town of Strathmore.
“There was the option to do nothing, but we tried to fix it all up and do our best. It was one of the design details that wasn’t quite as polished as I wanted it to be for Second Avenue. Due to the speed of the project we needed to get in there, close the street down and then open it back up again as fast as we could. That’s a detail that we’re going to fix. Once we see wheelchair stalls in action I think we’re going to get some positive comments back for sure.”
Although more ramps make it easier to access the newly constructed sidewalks, 25-year-old Steven Greene, who was born with spina bifida and who has relied on his wheelchair since he was 10 months old, is frustrated with the design of the wheelchair stalls that make it impossible for him to leave his rear-entrance van. His family said the width of the downtown handicap stalls are a concern due to the proximity to other vehicles, and they said while the project accommodated the chair, it did not consider the person.
Greene is left with the option of either opening the van’s doors onto the road with the angled parking, or having his doors blocked by the trees and greenery on the bump-out across from Value Drug Mart – one of the only downtown stores with doors wide enough to accommodate his 32-inch wide wheelchair. The handicapped design on the parking stall has since been removed. Yet Procter said two stalls currently exist in the downtown vicinity used by the Handibus Association.
While Greene understands a number of the buildings have existed in the downtown for many years, he is baffled by the lack of accommodation for wheelchair accessibility throughout the town.
“When you think about it, about half of the town is not wheelchair accessible anyways,” he said. “It’s kind of sad, and I’m not just speaking for myself, I’m speaking for people who are in similar situations as myself. It’s discrimination. I feel that people aren’t thinking about the other people completely. They’re looking at the canvas, not the whole painting.”
Greene wheeled himself into five different wheelchair-accessible bathrooms at the Strathmore Hospital but with the doors swinging inward, there wasn’t enough room for him to turn the wheelchair around and close the doors. While at the rodeo grounds over the summer, the family was forced to make their way from the far north end of the grounds to the Strathmore Family Centre to find a bathroom, and the double doors swinging inwards at most clinics also pose a challenge. Then, recently, during an outing to a local restaurant across the highway, a large garbage can on the sidewalk prevented Greene from entering the establishment, as his chair would have tipped over trying to bypass the can.
However, in the 10 years the family has resided in town, his mother Connie has seen significant changes to sidewalks in the residential areas.
“It’s an old town, we’re not stupid to that, but there could be some changes made,” she said. “He tipped over on a corner on Brentwood because there was such a big dip. There were a couple of times he almost tipped over. Now it’s good. It’s good that they have recognized wheelchair accessibility in town and I noticed that a lot of sidewalks are fixed now.”
Procter is aware of the lack of planning to accommodate those in wheelchairs and walkers on previous projects, but was confident projects in the future will continue to incorporate details to raise the bar and make Strathmore more wheelchair friendly.
“I think Strathmore really supports accessibility as a whole, but we’re limited to what was done in the past. And everything that we’re doing today, we’re really taking that into account,” he said. “Some of the older projects may not be the best but we’re going to continue making Strathmore more accessible as we go. I think we’re going to see the evidence with the ramps in the downtown how serious we are taking the issue with the four added ramps. The downtown has never been more accessible for people in a wheelchair.”
The Downtown Enhancement Project proved a major facelift for Strathmore’s core with an approved budget of $1.25 million. The upgrades spanning from 3rd Street to Lakeside Boulevard included plaza areas at a number of intersections, planters and greenery, new sidewalks, street furniture and decorative lighting. According to the town, the furniture and new lighting fixtures will be installed in the coming weeks. The undertaking was one of numerous large-scale projects in the community connected to Canada’s celebration of 150 years since Confederation.
The construction also included the installation of a much-needed storm water drainage pipe that received $500,000 through the Municipal Sustainability Initiative fund.