Disabled Edmonton man denied accessible bus service due to windrows outside home

Independence is something Quinn Marcacinni aims to always have.

Born with a spinal disability, Marcacinni has staff helping him with certain things. Once a week he takes Edmonton Dedicated Accessible Transit Service (DATS) to shop, get what he needs, and get some fresh air.

But last week, that independence was deflated. Marcacinni says the DATS bus could not lower the ramp for him to get on because of the windrows outside his home that go down the street.

The ride was cancelled and Marcacinni stayed home.

“(The city) can’t expect me to stay home just because the roads are crap,” Marcacinni said. “We have lives too.”

Because of this, he asked staff to get food for him. He says complaints were filed with the City of Edmonton.

Edmonton Transit tells CityNews it did not receive any reports this week from operators or clients about service refusals due to unsafe conditions.

“In such cases, DATS staff are deployed to assess the safety of the location, and work with clients, caregivers or facility staff to address the safety hazard, so service can resume as quickly as possible,” said Paul Schmold, ETS paratransit manager.

“Upon request, DATS can provide a listing of alternative accessible transportation providers to clients; this can include accessible taxis or non-profit organizations that specialize in accessible transportation.”

The issue around accessibility and snow clearing remains. Earlier last month, CityNews shared the story of Ryan King who is blind and deaf, and also uses a wheelchair.

King couldn’t leave his home because snowplows couldn’t reach his neighbourhood due to cars still on the street.

Marcacinni saw that story and says changes need to be made.

“They just need to be more prepared and hire more equipment,” he said. “This is a winter city; we get snow from October until usually April… and it stays.”

His councillor, Reed Clarke, agrees, saying changes should come sooner rather than next winter.

“We need to do better. When we get this much snow in a certain amount of time, is there something we can do to adapt this so we can get those roads cleared, so we can get mobility,” said Clarke.

City council is expected to debate multiple motions around snow and ice clearing soon.

Marcacinni says he has plans to go out this weekend. But if the windrows aren’t cleared, he still can’t take the bus, and he would be forced to stay home.

“It kind of seems like the city is pushing us aside. Like we don’t matter,” he said.