I attended HRM’s Transportation Standing Committee on Thursday, where I heard a great presentation on the huge challenge that thousands of people with disabilities face trying to travel. The presentation by Gerry Post was specifically about options for Access-a-Bus, which has long waiting lists and many users who have trouble getting where they need to go. A presenter also spoke about the problems she has just getting around town. Poorly plowed sidewalks and bus stops, broken sidewalks, and steep curb cuts at crosswalks are some common problems.  While these are a hassle for many of us, they are huge problems for people in wheelchairs, people with limited vision and people using walkers or canes. Many people, especially older folks, struggle to regularly get out of the house and do simple things that most of us take for granted.

The Halifax region has improved a lot, according to residents who presented on Thursday, but there is clearly a lot of work to be done. At the risk of stating the obvious, everyone benefits from making our communities more accessible. If you’ve pushed a stroller around town, you know how challenging that can be. People using a wheelchair or cane have lots of trouble on poorly plowed sidewalks, but everyone else struggles, too, especially kids. Accessible, low floor buses let many people use the standard bus network, but low floor buses also reduce boarding times, perhaps by between 10-15%. That might not sound like a big deal, but check out this Planifax video showing how much time busy routes spend just getting people on and off the vehicles. And of course there’s everyone’s favourite: plowed under bus stops, which are a hassle and dangerous for everyone involved.

So when we think about making or retrofitting buildings and spaces, we can all benefit from accessible design. As 8-8o Cities puts it: think of a young child and an older adult, maybe someone using a cane. Ask yourself the question: would you send them out together for a walk to the park. If yes, great. If no, there’s some work to do.

Halifax is getting more accessible, but we still have lots of work to do.