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The Vectorial® system helps improve streetcar accessibility: the example of the city of Toronto.

6 Jun, 2020 | City | 0 comments

The city of Toronto has opted for the Vectorial® system to solve the conflict between bicycles and public transport users and improve accessibility at tram stops in the King Street Priority Transit Corridor, in the heart of this Canadian city.

The Toronto City Council Department of Mobility launched in 2017 the pilot project to create a priority corridor for public transport on King Street, one of the main streets of its downtown. This street suffered from significant levels of congestion because of the large volume of private vehicles circulating on it.

The project, therefore, had the following objectives:

  • To move people more efficiently.
  • To promote economic activity.
  • To improve the use of public space.
  • To solve the conflict between two modes of transport (bicycles and streetcar) and pedestrians.
  • To improve accessibility to the tram.

 

Accessibility to public transportation along this corridor was a key theme of this project. Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) streetcars do not allow level boarding, making it difficult for wheelchair users or people with reduced vision to gain access. With the elimination of one of the traffic lanes adjacent to the tramway, accessibility to streetcars has been improved by installing two Vectorial® system platforms in the following locations:

  • King Street next to the intersection with Portland Street.
  • King Street next to the intersection with Peter Street.

 

ZICLA streetcar accessibility The Vectorial® system helps improve streetcar accessibility: the example of the city of Toronto. 1The Vectorial® system platforms contribute to the efficient flow of people around King Street. They act as a relief valve for pedestrians who are crowded on existing sidewalks and they contribute to placemaking and enhance peoples’ experience on King Street. The platforms also improve accessibility by making it easier to board and exit streetcars. They eliminate drainage/pooling issues in the waiting zone and clearly mark zones for cyclists and pedestrians.

Their configuration allows bikes to run along the boarding area, along the extended curb. Bicyclists can ride through the boarding area when no transit vehicles are present but must yield the space to boarding and alighting passengers.

 

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