A metro adapted to serve many types of challenged riders

Although representatives of the Association lavalloise du transport adapté declined to comment on the services provided for handicapped individuals, it should be noted that reduced-speed elevators will provide access to the various levels of the stations and the terminus. The movement of these glassed-in conveniences has been slowed down to dissuade regular users from tying them up.

The absence of such services for the handicapped on the Montreal side of the metro has led to criticism from several sectors. Jean-Pierre Normand, director of the metro extension project to Laval, says: "I had the chance to start from scratch, something which is a lot easier to do than to convert existing facilities (such as those on the Montreal side)."

He adds, "There's already a conversion program in place for six stations in Montreal, but it's just the tip of the iceberg. There's so much more awareness of these needs. Universal access is a criteria all over the world."

"As much as possible, we've tried to respect the needs of sight-challenged and wheel-chair bound individuals by providing gradually rising inclines. Our architects also made provision for column-free spaces to eliminate obstacles," explains Daniel Fréchette, AMT Assistant Contract Administrator.