The Accessibility Advisory Committe wants the York Street Laneway redevelopment to better accommodate pedestrians.The committee recommends Council prioritize measures to protect people walking in the lane, including those with mobility aids.

The motion came out of a discussion following a deputation by landscape architect Victoria Taylor, who has advocated for more pedestrian-friendly design of the laneway since 2023. 

She helped organize a community event outside The Regent to reimagine the laneway as a public space.

“Everyone heard loud and clear the key issue was pedestrian safety.”

Since then, the County has set out to reconstruct the laneway. The underground sanitary trunk line needs to be replaced. In the process, they will resurface the asphalt and granular base, and add new curbs and gutters. 

A public information centre (PIC) in June showcased detailed designs to the public. But, Ms. Taylor notes, they did not feature any of the accessibility enhancements she has been advocating for for two years. 

“Since I expressed my disappointment to Jeff and I told him I was doing this deputation, he has gone back and spoken to whoever he needs to speak with and now there will be a handrail along that public sidewalk at that very steep section,” she noted. 

The handrail will be fastened to the sole sidewalk, which will be  opposite The Regent Theatre.

“We did inquire about having the sidewalk run along our side of the building, but I gather because of where the hydro runs and the hydro poles, that’s not possible,” said The Regent’s ED, John Galway.

“Ideally we’d like a safe exit from the building, one that doesn’t exit right onto the road, but the road is so narrow, if it’s going to continue to function as a road, that’s not possible.”

“Hopefully one day, the top section of this laneway can be closed and it can become part of Main street as a place to pause and a place for art activations.” 

Landscape Architect Victoria Taylor

Ms. Taylor’s deputation suggested adding rumble strips to the new asphalt to slow vehicles and provide textured grip for pedestrians. 

But County spokesperson Mark Kerr noted, “rumble strips on either the sidewalk or roadway are not being incorporated into the design. Rumble strips within the road are typically used for traffic calming measures. With this being a narrow one-way laneway with a steep slope, traffic already proceeds slowly.”

Members of the Advisory Committee agreed safety features did not go far enough. 

There are no plans to mitigate the slope, which reaches 16 percent at its steepest point, double AODA guidelines. 

“It’s very difficult to see a project like this come from the County that is so bereft of accessibility accommodations,” said Irene Harris. “Could they, if they put their mind to it, change that 16 percent slope?” 

Other accessibility features considered include a lowered speed limit and a resting place with a bench. Mr. Kerr noted that the County is limited by private property constraints from incorporating benches into the design.

 The laneway accesses three residential units. It also connects to a parking lot that services the doctors’ office, commercial businesses, and The Regent Theatre. 

The project went out for tender on July 28th, and closes on August 19th. 

While it may be too late to apply additional safety features to the reconstruction, the Accessibility Advisory Committee has been advocating for an accessibility lens to be applied to all municipal projects. 

Mr. Kerr noted that County staff are working with the Committee on developing an accessibility lens for the whole municipality.