Designing For Diversity
A design problem with the subway system in Toronto is that during peak times those with mobility issues can have difficulties entering and exiting the train because of the amount of people going through the doors during the short amount of time the trains are at the stations.
While this does not specifically affect groups who would usually be considered diverse, it does effect those who have mobility issues either from age or disability. This is still an example of human diversity because not everyone is an able-bodied individual that would be able to use this system effectively.
The main exclusionary features of the current TTC subway trains that cause this problem are the narrow exit points for the volume of people and the short amount of time that is given for riders to enter and exit the train at each station.
The barrier that is blocking designing for diversity in this specific context would be that trains are built for efficiency and trying to accommodate for a few individuals would slow down the rest of the system for the majority or riders. The purpose of the transit system, especially during those busy times is to get as many people to their destination in the quickest possible time. This reinforces a social barrier where those who are slower feel pressured by others to not slow down either by pushing themselves or staying out of the way.
A possible design solution for this issue would be to have a button on train/ platform that extended the amount of time the doors stayed opened at the station. This would give those with mobility issues more time to enter and exit the train. The button could be placed on the floor, so it is accessible for everyone. Additionally, it could be placed close to the elevator entrance. This could be used in conjunction with a section/car of the train designed to accommodate those with mobility issues. In this way they would have a section where they do not feel pressured while using the train and do not inhibit the travel for others significantly.
The design tries to remedy the social exclusion that those with disability or movement impairment might face while trying to enter or exit the trains. Due to the very short time and crowding of the door ways on the trains during high volume times, it can be difficult for the people with movement impairments or those in wheelchairs to use the train; feeling pressured to rush themselves to try and keep up with the other patrons or not using the trains during those busy hours.
The main exclusionary feature being shown is the rapid pace required to use public transit, which is often designed with the intention of being as efficient as possible in getting patrons to their destinations. Socially those using the trains become easily frustrated when others are visually delaying their commute, making those with movement impairments targets of this frustration. This design responds to this in 2 steps, the first problem addressed is the fast pace of the doors; the buttons on the floor of the platform and smaller ones within the trains will allow those who need additional time to enter/exit to extend the duration the doors remain open. The second problem of feeling like an obstruction to others would be solved by having the accessible train, which would feature more open areas for wheelchairs as well as handrails for others with mobility issues and be located closest to the accessibility of the station (elevators, ramps, etc).
Structural barriers mitigated by making the access to accessibility focused train space easier to reach for those who need it and stops pedestrian traffic build up around those with movement impairments. Socially it mitigates the pressure on those with movement disabilities to rush to match the pace of other able patrons in order to avoid ridicule or be the target of their frustrations. This will hopefully allow those with movement impairments to use the trains more comfortably both physically and emotionally.
A main group that could be unwittingly excluded by this design are those who have non-visible disability/struggles. I have seen this on pubic transit myself where other are unwilling to accommodate those who visually appear to be able bodied but may have invisible disability (back issues, knees etc.); if they are seen using the accessibility features they are ridiculed by others either silently (stares, whispers) or directly called out.
The implementation of this system would be incorporating the buttons into the existing train stations/ trains as a first step; then renovating a train car to include the accessible features. A design challenge that could impede the implementation of this design is the scheduling of the other trains. While the addition of a few seconds at a single stop may be a very minor inconvenience for passengers, this happening repeatedly throughout the day could cause trains to become out of sync with their schedule, especially if the feature is abused by able-bodied patrons. Also, the cost of the implementing this system would be very high because it would require the equipment to be implemented at the many stations.