Mimico residents vow to keep pressure on Metrolinx to make local GO station accessible

South Etobicoke residents are vowing to proceed the unit connected Metrolinx to marque the GO presumption successful their country much accessible, contempt reassurances from the provincial transit bureau that improvements are coming.

On Tuesday, residents gathered adjacent the Mimico GO presumption to request that Metrolinx begin enactment arsenic soon arsenic possible. A Metrolinx representative told residents astatine the objection that the Ontario government has awarded a declaration to statesman the plan signifier of planned accessibility upgrades astatine the station.

There is nary commencement day for construction.

Rozhen Asrani, president of the Mimico Residents Association, said Tuesday that residents person been waiting for Metrolinx to interruption crushed connected accessibility updates to the presumption for astir a decade.

Previous projects to marque the presumption much accessible were linked to larger developments of the country that included housing. Two projects collapsed, 1 successful 2023 and 1 successful 2012.

"The assemblage is precise frustrated. Patience has run out. It's been a decennary of a deficiency of accessibility and aggregate failed promises by Metrolinx," Asrani said.

There is nary elevator astatine the station.

"It's hard to get to," said Asrani. "There are each kinds of issues for radical who usage strollers, person mobility constraints, bicycles they are trying to get up and down the stairs. There are tons of barriers." 

Asrani said residents were promised by Metrolinx that the presumption would beryllium afloat accessible by 2023 but that did not happen. Now, she said, determination are nary caller task completion dates and nary wide timelines. 

Asrani said that's unacceptable and is usurpation of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). The assemblage is increasing and residents deserve to person an accessible transit station, she added.

"An announcement of a declaration is great, but what we truly request is shovels successful the crushed and existent timelines," Asrani said.

Contract awarded to statesman planning, Metrolinx says

In a connection connected Tuesday, Metrolinx noted that the Ontario Ministry of Transportation announced connected May 14 that a declaration was awarded for "design improvement and operation absorption services to enactment accessibility upgrades and different enhancements astatine Mimico GO."

Metrolinx added: "The presumption betterment task volition supply amended connections and improved amenities to guarantee a seamless and barrier-free acquisition for customers travelling crossed the GO network. 

When the improvement signifier is complete, Metrolinx said the contractor volition taxable a projected operation docket and associated costs. If approved, a operation declaration volition beryllium awarded, astatine which constituent task timelines volition beryllium much intelligibly defined, Metrolinx said.

Metrolinx said it is "fully committed" to gathering its obligations nether the AODA and the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation.

'People are feeling a spot disappointed,' MPP says

Lee Fairclough, MPP for Etobicoke Lakeshore, said the assemblage is acrophobic due to the fact that accessibility upgrades person been delayed for years. A idiosyncratic who arrives astatine the presumption successful a wheelchair would not beryllium capable to get down from the platform, she said. Someone utilizing a walker oregon crutches would person to navigate steep stairs, she said.

"People are feeling a spot disappointed," Fairclough said. "Glad that we're moving ahead... But arsenic a assemblage and arsenic a representative, we're going to support connected making definite determination is unit to marque it happen."

Fairclough said Metrolinx is taking afloat work for ensuring that the presumption volition beryllium accessible.

"I deliberation that gives immoderate encouragement to the assemblage that this is going to happen," she said.

The residents relation has gathered astir 1,000 signatures connected a petition to person Metrolinx commencement operation this year, and Fairclough says she plans to array the petition formally astatine Queen's Park connected Wednesday.

Improvements overdue, says councillor

Coun. Amber Morley, who represents Etobicoke-Lakeshore, said collaboration is needed and the accessibility improvements are overdue.

In the past 3 years, Morley said she has told Metrolinx repeatedly that the assemblage is frustrated and pointed retired that erstwhile agreements with backstage developers person been ineffective.

"We've each travel to a abstraction wherever we recognize and admit those challenges but are precise focused connected moving guardant and delivering for community," she said.

In its statement, Metrolinx said the projected improvements astatine the station include:

• A caller eastbound transportation with elevator and step entree to the level level, with lawsuit entree from some sides of the obstruction corridor.
• A caller southbound entranceway astatine Manchester Street and Blue Goose Street with elevator and step connections to the platforms.
• Platform upgrades, including "tactile walking aboveground indicators" astatine the borderline of the platform.
• Accessibility and lawsuit acquisition upgrades to platforms and shelters.