September 13, 2013 Dear Mayor Nenshi and City Council, RE: LETTER OF SUPPORT TO REVISE ACCESS CALGARY

SERVICE AREA GUIDELINES Members of the Disability Action Hall a very concerned for the Calgarians health and well-being who rely on Access Calgary as a lifeline, Access Calgary can only provide service to areas where Calgary Transit routes currently go. This means Access Calgary only services areas within 1km of Calgary Transit fixedroute stops.i Some customers live outside of the one-kilometer service area and are informed by Access Calgary that service cannot be provided and alternate arrangements have to be made. Customers who cannot make alternate arrangements are offered service provided they pay for each trip. This can cost approximately $20 or more depending on the time/distance travelled. The policy of limiting Access Calgary service to be within 1 km of a Calgary Transit bus stop impacts those people with disabilities who are outside the service area and may cost taxpayers and society more money in the long run. Rationale: Social Impacts: Reducing transportation choices may increase health risks & decrease financial well-being for Calgarians with reduced mobility, resulting in social isolation & poverty. ii Strategic Alignment: The current policy does not align with the vision for the 2020 Sustainability Direction goals of creating a sustainable City. Equity: Customers living with low-income impacts the ability to pay for a public service: 15,000 Calgarians, including Senior Citizens and people with disabilities, some have restricted public access with unpredictable financial costs for those who wish to contribute to the economy, celebrate citizenship and benefit connecting to friends, family, and places of worship and live in our city.

What we recommend: The policy needs to realign with the Sustainability Direction 2020 goals iii of creating community well being, smart growth and mobility choice, a prosperous economy, a sustainable environment and financial sustainability for our City and its Citizens. Studiesiv have shown world class transportation systems are inclusive and encourage universal design address for all Citizens: 1. Approve additional funding for Access Calgary to provide service for all customers to the city limits of Calgary. 2. To explore the financial impact of increasing the eligibility distance from 1 km to City Limit Service.v o Grandfathering existing customers who use to receive service more than 1 km from a bus stop. o Phase in City Limit Service by having a 1-year pilot to explore operational costs. 3. Enforce equity across all City subsidized service fees for Calgarians living on low-income, in particular for taxpayers who require trips outside the 1 km zone from a City Transit bus stop, to pay a reduced rate as outlined in the Fair Calgary vi policy. 4. The Calgary Metropolitan Plan to include Access Calgary Services in a regional public transit agreement with outlying municipalities.vii Please contact us if you have any questions, we can be reached at 403.717.7630 or email us at actionhall@calgaryscope.org Thank you for your time and consideration. Members of the Disability Action Hall CC: Access Calgary Karim Rayani, Imagine Calgary, Office of Sustainability, L. Fowler, Leanne Squair ACA Committee, Civic Camp Calgary, Robert Wiles Fair Calgary

Endnotes

City of Calgary, Access Calgary Website, [website] Available at: http://www.calgarytransit.com/accesscalgary.html [Accessed September 9, 2013]
ii

Fletcher, R., 2013. Disabled Calgarians Disabled Calgarians hit hard by one-kilometer transit rule, advocates say, Metro Calgary, 9 April. [online] Available at: <http://metronews.ca/news/calgary/626279/disabled-calgarians-hit-hard-by-one-kilometre-transitrule-advocates-say/> [Accessed August 21st, 2013].
iii

Office of Sustainability, 2013. 2020 Sustainability Direction: The City of Calgarys 10 year plan towards a Sustainable direction for Imagine Calgary [pdf] Available at: <http://www.calgary.ca/CA/cmo/Documents/20130648_ChangesTo2020SusCover_spread_web.pdf>[Accessed August, 21st, 2013]. 1.) Community Well Being a.) EQUITY (Target 1, page 15): The 1 km rule policy fair for Calgarians living on low-income who cannot afford an extra-ordinary fee, thereby restricting access to a public service. b.) PROMOTE INCLUSIVENESS (Target 1, page 17): Calgarians with reduced mobility are restricted in activities, lifestyle and financial well-being. c.) AGE FRIENDLY CITY (Target 2, page 17): Baby boomers will use Access Services when health is compromised, however restricting trips will discourage baby boomers to apply for the service and only encourage more traffic with use of private cars, potentially add more traffic and compromising safety at the wheel and to other drivers using the roads. d.) COMPLETE COMMUNITIES (Target 6, page 22): How does this 1 km rule promote accessibility of community services, for a diverse community? 2) Smart growth and mobility choice, a.) TRANSPORTATION CHOICE (target 2, page 27): A 1 km rule truly makes the transit fleet inaccessible for all Calgarians and forces people into private cars thereby increasing more traffic on our roads. b.) COMPLETE COMMUNITIES (Target 6, page 22): How does this 1 km guideline promote accessibility of community services, for a diverse community? 3) Prosperous Economy DIVERSE WORKFORCE (Targets 1&2, page 19): How does a 1 km guideline impact a diverse workforce to a population that is devastatingly underemployed with no means to reach various businesses outside of the existing infrastructure and limiting a Calgarians ability to contribute to the economy and taxation system thereby impairing peoples ability to earn above the low-income cut off. 4) Sustainable Environment (Target 1page 21) How do we address green house gases and emissions when Calgarians with reduced mobility are forced to operate private vehicles in order to get to the doctor, see family, seek employment and get to the hospital? 5.) Financial Sustainability CREDABILITY: (Target 1, page 33): It is estimated City Wide Service will cost approximately $500,000 per year. An investment to help promote better health problems, create jobs and provider a wider tax base to make Calgary more sustainable; A pilot project is required to determine true costs.
iv

King, R., 2013. Accessibility for All, The City Fix, Embarq, [online] Available at: <http://thecityfix.com/blog/accessibility-for-all-un-enable-right-to-movement-disabled-elderlycuritiba-brazil-robin-king/> [Accessed August 21st, 2013].
v

Harper, Chris, Platform 2013 [website] Available at http://www.chrisharper.ca/transportationthat-moves.html [Accessed September 13th, 2013
vi

City of Calgary, 2011, Fair Calgary Policy, [pdf] Available at: http://www.calgary.ca/CA/cityclerks/Documents/Council-policy-library/csps019.pdf , [Accessed August 27th, 2013].
vii

Calgary Regional Partnership, 2012. Calgary Metropolitan Plan, [pdf] pg. 31 Creating Sustainable

Communities, Connecting to Regional Transit 3.b.6, Available at: http://205.186.144.206:8080/cmp/bin2/pdf/CMP.pdf [Accessed August 27, 2013].