A group representing TTC riders with disabilities is urging the transit agency to act quickly to address what it says are unsafe gaps between subway trains and platforms at some stations.

In a letter to the TTC board, Mazin Aribi, chair of the Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit (ACAT), says that on some parts of the network there is a wider than normal gap, and at others the height of the platform doesn’t line up with train floors.

“These issues have in many instances resulted in customers getting stuck in the gap as the wheels of their mobility devices drop into the empty space — causing panic, unnecessary wear/damage to mobility devices, and system delays,” wrote Aribi.

ACAT is asking the TTC to fund and complete renovations “as soon as possible.” In an interview with the Star, Aribi said it’s important the agency moves fast because the TTC is planning to shift more customers with accessibility challenges from its Wheel-Trans service to the conventional system.

Under its new “Family of Services” model, by 2025 half of customers who currently qualify for door-to-door Wheel-Trans service will use the TTC’s standard network. The shift will start next year and be phased in gradually as the TTC system is made fully accessible.

“We do encourage people to use the subway as part of the ‘Family of Services’ and we want these customers to feel comfortable and safe to use it,” Aribi said.

The board will consider Aribi’s letter at its meeting Thursday.

TTC spokesperson Brad Ross said he is not aware of any injuries or significant delays caused by mobility devices falling into the space between subway and platform. “No train has departed with a wheel stuck in the gap,” he said.

According to Ross, “the vast majority of subway stations have vertical and horizontal gaps within acceptable TTC design standards,” but some of the older stations, particularly on the Yonge St. portion of Line 1, were built with “more generous” construction tolerances compared to today. Transit workers are in the process of measuring gaps at all stations, and are expected to finish next month.

The TTC has already taken some action in response to ACAT’s concerns, including lowering the height of the new Toronto Rocket model subways to better align with platforms, and building an accessible ramp at the south end of Eglinton Station where the gap was particularly large.

The TTC is also looking into installing “platform gap fillers” that could make it easier for passengers to board and disembark trains. The fillers would be fitted to the edge of the platform, and would be made of material that would compress against the car but still be supple enough allow for the side-to-side motion of the subway.

Ross said that TTC looked into gap fillers about a decade ago but there weren’t any products compatible with Toronto’s subways on the market.

He said he was not concerned that the gap issue could undermine the Family of Services program, because “very few stations have significant vertical gaps along the entire length of the platform” and passengers using mobility devices “can board elsewhere along the platform, generally towards the centre of the train where larger gaps are less prevalent.”

According Louise Bark, it can be difficult to find the part of the platform where the gap is safe. Bark uses a motorized wheelchair, and says when she encounters a large divide the only way to ensure she doesn’t get stuck is by going full speed ahead, which can be a danger to her and other passengers.

“It’ll hit very hard and it’s a jolt,” she said. “I won’t even try to get in to a really crowded subway because I just know that I’m too at risk of hitting somebody.”

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The TTC says it is on track to make the transit system fully accessible by 2025, in accordance with provincial legislation. While the entire bus fleet and the new Bombardier streetcars are accessible, only 34 of 69 stations currently are.

In February the board requested agency staff to look into accelerating work on the remaining stations, but in a report that is also going before the board this week, staff say that’s likely not possible.

The current construction plan calls for up to 17 stations to be under renovation at once, with all stops to be completed in the next nine years. Staff said that schedule is “ambitious and achievable, but has limited opportunities for further advancement.”