St. John's is one year into its accessibility plan. Here's what's been done so far

The first year of a plan to increase accessibility in St. John's saw improvements to infrastructure and public transit — but one advocate says the progress is too little, too late.

The city unveiled its first multi-year accessibility plan in 2023, complying with provincial legislation requiring public bodies to create accessibility plans every three years. This week, the city released a progress report.

Five new audible pedestrian signals and more accessible crosswalks, as well as 18 kilometres of paved paths suitable for mobility aids like wheelchairs are among the highlights. The city is planning to add another 11 kilometres of paved paths in 2025.

The city also added 11 kilometres of sidewalks to its snow-clearing program, with another eight kilometres expected to be added this year, for a total of 183 kilometres next winter.

St. John's Mayor Danny Breen says the city needs to ensure it can complete its current snow-clearing program in a timely manner before expanding to more sidewalks.

"We want to do what we're doing now well and then we're always looking at areas that we can improve our coverage," he said in an interview with CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show.

According to the report, five new accessible bus shelters were added, bringing the total to 75 — though those shelters represent just a fraction of the hundreds of Metrobus stops across the city. 

Metrobus also added new wheelchair-accessible buses, and plans to make all of Route 10 accessible later this year.

The city awarded a contract to Strategic Mapping Inc. to develop and implement a new on-board stop announcement system on Metrobus later this year. 

Breen said staff are also working to integrate universal design principles into regulations and building codes.

"Our staff identify issues, consulting with the community, working with the different organizations and come up with these recommendations," he said.

Advocate says more work to be done

According to the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability, 30.9 per cent of people surveyed in Newfoundland and Labrador identify as having a disability — and that number was higher than previous surveys.

Anne Malone, a St. John's resident and disability advocate who has severe vision loss, says she's optimistic the city can become more accessible — but there's still a long way to go.

LISTEN / St. John's resident says the city's accessibility efforts are behind the times

St John's Morning Show9:15A St. John's disability advocate grades the city's progress on its accessibility initiative

Malone said she was pleased to see the city integrate accessibility in recreation and infrastructure projects, but would like to see more specifics about the plans.

"In terms of timelines, there's very little there to say 'by this time in the future these things will for sure have been accomplished,'" she said.

According to the city, of the 51 actions initiated in 2024, 92 per cent are on track or completed, while eight per cent are behind or overdue. Another 19 action items haven't been started.

Malone said the city's sidewalk snow-clearing effort isn't good enough for residents who don't drive, and rely on sidewalks to get around. 

"If you have access to a car all the time, I invite you to sit for just a moment and reflect on how much your life would shrink," she said.

Malone says she wants the city to prioritize sidewalk snow clearing in its accessibility efforts because it impacts a wide variety of people of various abilities.

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