I'd forgotten which string it was that I made the claim that the step risers and tread didn't look up to modern building code. I was down there last week, and measured them. Much to my surprise, they are, from memory, a 7" rise and 10.5" tread. There's still something very wrong with them though, and the description "fire escape-like stairs" is completely apt. Someone somewhere must have posted an analysis on-line.
Edit to Add: Thinking about how the same challenge was handled on the Bay Street Concourse , the answer, and it was an interesting one, was to use a common landing between the flights of steps such that an airy space and sense of easy flow happened. The devil for the York ones is the *confinement*. It's psychology, not actual step infrastructure, that's the problem. It's a serious spatial design flaw, and could perhaps be fixed next revamp just by joining the landings into a congruent mall. That would also disburse crowding load too when some platforms are full, others not, just as happens (or happened, God help us if they've changed it) at the Bay concourse.
What a world of difference! And to me, this look, like some of the University Subway stations (Dupont immediately comes to mind) is still inviting, and highly functional.
Those stairs look wider, I'll measure any differences when the Bay Concourse opens again.
In all fairness, ceiling height looks to be different, but I'll measure that too given the next chance.
