Город Салмон-Арм отложил внедрение обязательных норм доступности для уличных кафе

Accessibility changes to Salmon Arm's parking space patios will come at a later date Patio changes The City of Salmon Arm’s regulation changes aimed at making street-side patios more accessible has hit another bump in the road, and will take more time before it comes into effect. At the Aug. 24 council meeting Gary Buxton, director of planning and community services, presented a report on the proposed changes to the city’s street cafe policy that governs roadside patios. Council had asked staff to make changes to the street cafe policy in July after receiving a letter from a Salmon Arm resident concerned about two local cafe patios that were inaccessible to wheelchair users. “Council was looking for accessibility and barrier-free access requirements for street cafes and referring to building code requirements,” Buxton said. “We've done that.” Policy wording said patios were strongly encouraged to be accessible, and a proposed wording change will make accessibility mandatory. Staff also looked into the BC Building Code requirements and changed the policy to more closely match the code. “It makes reference to ramps with a grade of no more than five degrees, wheelchair access to all seating with widths of no less than 1.5 meters, and turnaround areas for wheelchairs of no less than 1.5 meters," Buxton said. He said the policy was referred to the Downtown Salmon Arm business association for feedback. “They have some concerns that the references…with respect to wheelchair access, aisle widths, and turning radii, are a little too restrictive due to the limited dimensions that occur on some of the patios,” Buxton said. “So, their recommendation is to limit the changes to the ramp being provided and to remove the other references.” He said staff did not make any changes based on the feedback from Downtown Salmon Arm as council had clearly asked for the policy to be changed to match the BC Building Code. “If council wanted to make those changes, I would recommend you refer it back to us rather than trying to maneuver through a motion this afternoon that picks apart certain sections,” he said. 'I don't want to over-regulate it' Coun. Sylvia Lindgren said she was in favour of moving forward with the changes as written, adding there were some "creative ways" to create space for a wheelchair. “It can be that once you're on the ramp, the wheelchair accessible seating is the first space. A table can be on a hinge, so it can be lifted out of the way to create the space, and then put the table down when the wheelchair is parked.” Lindgren said she didn't think it was too complicated of a problem for local business owners to solve. Other councillors, however, were more in favour of having staff make the changes requested by Downtown Salmon Arm. Coun. Debbie Cannon said she appreciated the work staff had done and said she wanted to refer the policy back to staff to make the changes. “I agree with Coun. Cannon and the input from Downtown Salmon Arm,” said Mayor Alan Harrison. “I think everybody loves patios for sure, and they're a very important part of our downtown.” He said the big change in his mind was ensuring every patio had a permanent ramp to allow access for wheelchair users and he wanted to see that change in effect next year. “I don't want to over-regulate it because the amount of room is like a parking space, and it's not very large,” Harrison said. “We want to have patios, and we want people to be able to get on them. I think there are ways for people to get on them without having to follow the large areas that are described in this draft.” A motion was passed to refer the policy back to staff for further changes before it is brought back at future council meeting for final approval. More Salmon Arm News Salmon Arm Weather District of Sicamous Sicamous Weather Shuswap Tourism Salmon Arm Chamber of Commerce Salmon Arm Classifieds Interior Health Okanagan Regional Library