French version / version français : L’humain au cœur des affiches du métro de Montréal
Translated to French by / traduit en français par: Naomi Kodo
Around the time I was conducting this accessibility audit, a friend had to suddenly move from the Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood to Hochelaga neighbourhood of Montreal. Their decision factors included finances, rent, space, proximity to metro station/bus lines, parks for their child, and commute time to work in the future. What if during their apartment hunt, they knew that both their former station Côte-des-Neiges and latter station Prefontaine would provide them quite similar accessibility experiences, they will still have to carry their child’s poussette (stroller) up or down 23–25 steps. If the escalators in their new station were out of order, they would have to continue carrying it for another 40–43 steps.
Imagine my friend’s experience every day, morning and evening when going to and coming from daycare/work.
Imagine an elderly person with reduced mobility, wanting to go and socialize with their friends/family and trying to figure out which route will cause them the least amount of pain and struggle.
Imagine someone using a wheelchair, wanting to know which stations are the most accessible for them to live or work or socialize.
Imagine someone with an injury or luggage, wanting to know how to navigate through the stations with ease.
A few weeks ago, I explored 68 metro stations of Montreal and climbed up and down 8600+ stair-steps and numerous escalators to conduct an accessibility audit. I wrote about my experience, initial observations, identified five structural barriers and posed two design challenges: 4 days 4 lines (EN) or 4 jours 4 lignes (FR).
Collecting data for the sake of having information serves a surface-level purpose. Static information can become valuable knowledge when it guides decisions — be it small or large, individual-level or society-level, financial or environmental. A critical component in creating value is how the information is framed, analyzed, and presented.
After collecting, organizing, analyzing, and synthesizing the data about the metro stations, I framed the information with users/riders at the core. Moving away from a function- or technology-centred approach, focusing on a human- or user-centred perspective can allow us to turn data or information into actionable knowledge in turn assisting decisions, removing barriers, making transit experiences smooth, all with an optimistic hope of making lives easier.
In this article, you will find bilingual posters for all 68 stations.
Without me painting yet another picture with words, let’s use the posters to compare my friend’s previous and current experience at the metro station closest to their home. At Prefontaine station, with a stroller, it’s slightly better for them to enter/exit from the North entrance as they can avoid the final seven steps situated outside the South entrance of the station.
Upon further inquiry, their bigger worry/annoyance is escalators frequently being out of order and wonder if there is a way to get real-time information about these ‘minor’ barriers which can cause a struggle for many users/riders.
How can you help make our transit more accessible?
Moving towards universal accessibility starts with access to knowledge and in turn, requires us to leverage collective intelligence to solve these design challenges. I would love for you all to absorb the information on these posters, experience our metro stations differently, and in just a few days bring your insights and ideas to the table. I invite you all to the virtual Design CrowdSolve on October 30th. Everyone’s experience matters. Everyone’s knowledge is critical. Register on Eventbrite to receive more updates.
Please feel free to share these posters and articles with people you know or who could benefit from them. You may share them on your websites helping your clients know how to access your neighbourhood by metro stations. I will be sharing the Excel file with all the data in the upcoming days for you to incorporate them into your existing efforts.
Reach out to me on LinkedIn (Omer Juma) or 4days4lines@gmail.com if you would like to connect, collaborate, and learn more.
Moving forward, I see Montrealers and future visitors to Montreal navigating our metro stations with ease. These posters are designed to:
- be intuitive (or easily understood in a short timespan),
- be recognizable by the colours and names of each line and station,
- be bilingual (for language accessibility),
- be spatial showcasing different levels of the station (Ground, Terminal, Platform),
- be distinguishable for people with colour-blindness, and
- be consistent in terms of icons and content.
Gentle reminders:
1. The information is based on data collected in August 2020. I recognize that some stations are being renovated and are being retro-fitted with elevators. Once they are functioning, I will be updating the posters.
2. For stations connecting lines, you will see both colours, names, and labels on the posters. I took the liberty of replicating them and changing the colour of the top bar to complement the poster series for each line (you will see three Berri-UQAM posters).
3. If there is a mistake on the poster about a structural element or number of steps (more than 3 steps) please message me (4days4lines@gmail.com), I can confirm and update the posters.
4. Please use #4Days4Lines or #4jours4lignes when sharing so that people can access all the information regarding this initiative.
Order:
Ligne Verte / Ligne 1 / Green Line
Ligne Orange / Ligne 2 / Orange Line
Ligne Jaune / Ligne 4 / Yellow Line
Ligne Bleue / Ligne 5 / Blue Line
Ligne Verte / Ligne 1 / Green Line
Ligne Orange / Ligne 2 / Orange Line
Ligne Jaune / Ligne 4 / Yellow Line
Ligne Bleue / Ligne 5 / Blue Line
