Everybody complains about the TTC, but engineering students have gone one step further. For the last six weeks, first-year students in the Engineer Science Praxis II class have worked on solutions to issues that they identified and researched earlier in the course. On April 15, they’ll unveil their solutions to major drawbacks of the transit system. The 2009 Praxis Showcase at the Bahen Centre lobby will feature six designs to enhance the usability, sustainability, and safety of the TTC.

“We were on the subway and wondered what would happen if a fire broke out,” said Matt Li, who worked on ways to reduce the delay in the TTC’s emergency response system with team mates Spencer Hu and Brian Merchant.

“There are no fire detectors on the subway,” added Merchant. Both expressed their excitement at the chance to do practical engineering in their first year.

The upgrades students will unveil at the showcase include:

Improving Passenger Safety Near The TTC’s Exposed Subway Tracks: reducing accidental passenger falls and slips onto the subway tracks as well as deliberate pushes and suicides.

Solving The Heat Loss Problem: ways of regulating subway platform temperature, which is well below comfortable building temperatures.

Improving Way-Finding Signage On The TTC: addressing inadequate and inconsistent signage in the TTC.

Service Delays Caused by the Inefficiency of Passenger Dynamics Into and Out of Subway Cars: door operation and passenger flow system proposal to solve overcrowding, blocking, and holding of subway doors.

Revising TTC Bus Interiors To Maximize Space And Boost Passenger Satisfaction: tackles the inaccessibility of the back of TTC buses due to a high-level of traffic.

Improving The Emergency Response System On The TTC Subways To Decrease Delay Time And Increase Safety: effective ways of lowering the gap between the occurrence of an emergency and acquisition of information by TTC officials are recommended.

The Bahen Centre lobby is located at 40 St. George Street. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on April 15.