Bus Stop Infrastructure Design Guidelines May 2009
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Bus Stop Infrastructure Design Guidelines May 2009 www.arta.co.nz Published in May 2009 by: The Auckland Regional Transport Authority Private Bag 92 236 Auckland, New Zealand This document is available on the ARTA website: www.arta.co.nz CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................... ii FOREWORD .......................................................................................................................... iii 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 2. PROVIDING AN ACCESSIBLE BUS NETWORK .................................................................. 7 3. BUS STOP LOCATION, SpaCING AND CapaCITY .......................................................... 10 4. BUS STOP TYPES AND LEVEL OF INFRASTRUCTURE PROVISION .................................. 19 5. BUS STOP LAYOUTS ..................................................................................................... 35 6. KERB PROFILE .............................................................................................................. 44 7. OTHER FACTORS TO CONSIDER ................................................................................... 47 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................ 49 ABBREVIATIONS AND GLOSSARY ....................................................................................... 50 APPENDICES APPENDIX A: PROPOSED QTN ROUTES .............................................................................. 52 AppENDIX B: CaSE STUDIES FROM LONDON ON THE EffECTS OF REMOVING BUS BAYS AND INTRODUCING BUS BOARDERS .............................................53 APPENDIX C: CaSE STUDIES FROM PORTLAND AND SEATTLE, USA .................................. 55 APPENDIX D: BUS STOP CHECKLIST .................................................................................... 56 APPENDIX E: INDICATIVE COST OF SOME BUS STOP ITEMS (AS AT 10/2008) .................... 60 i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ARTA would like to thank the following for their assistance and feedback in the preparation and development of the regional Bus Stop Infrastructure Design Guidelines. Name Organisation Vadi Vencatachellum Auckland City Council Mitch Tse Paul Edmonds Alec Young Bill Drager North Shore City Council Chris Harris Vukasin Sibinovski Julie Wood Darren Davis Waitakere City Council Jane Harris Steve Wrenn Manukau City Council Kit O’Halloren Martine Abel Nicola Mochrie Papakura District Council Robert McSpadden Ahmed Khaled Rodney District Council Gareth Hughes Bill Horne Dawn Inglis Franklin District Council Tim Hughes New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) Mieszko Iwaskow Paul Asquith New Zealand Bus and Coach Association Garth Stewart NZ Bus Andrew Ritchie Ritchies Transport Holdings Stephen Healiss John Brown Birkenhead Transport Dave Bayes Bayes Coachlines Ltd Wendy Bremner Age Concern Counties Manukau Inc Karen Plimmer Association of Blind Citizens of NZ ARTA Project Managers Edwin Swaris Andy Maule Main author Renata Smit, SKM Urban design input and producer of Figures 2.1, 3.1 and Sara Zwart, Jasmax 4.1 to 4.10 ARTA Bus Stop Infrastructure Design Guidelines (2009) Produced by SKM, in partnership with Jasmax ii FOREWORD The production of ARTA’s 10-year Passenger Transport Network Plan (PTNP) in 2006 has provided greater impetus to provide a high-quality passenger transport network within the Auckland region. The plan outlines a target to increase passenger transport patronage in the Auckland region from around 50 million trips a year to over 100 million trips a year by 2016. The vast majority of these trips will need to be provided for by bus services, as buses are the main form of passenger transport in Auckland – currently accounting for almost 80% of all passenger transport trips in the region – and will continue to be the key mode given that the opportunity for rail expansion is limited to just a few corridors. As buses are a key form of passenger transport in the region, bus stops and bus stop infrastructure will be the first point of contact for the public, the effective shop window for Auckland’s regional passenger transport network. Historically, a lack of regional co-ordination has resulted in inconsistencies in bus stop layout and provision across the region. This lack of consistency and the often poor bus stop infrastructure design impacts not only on the customer’s perceptions, experiences and views of the passenger transport network, but importantly on the operational effectiveness of the actual bus stops and therefore on the ability of bus operators to operate efficient and reliable services. The implementation of the guidelines will address this, by outlining best practice design principles for bus stop infrastructure, which consider a holistic journey approach so that issues of access, mobility and safety are all considered. The ultimate, overarching aim of these guidelines is to ensure that all bus stops in the region are accessible and to provide Aucklanders, regardless of their level of mobility, with a real passenger transport alternative to the private car. Although already practised by many other similar cities around the world, some key areas recommended by the guidelines will be ‘step changes’ for Auckland, such as: > Outlining a minimum (and raised) level of provision for a bus stop. > Preference to avoid an indented bus bay layout unless justified on compelling safety or operational reasons. > Recommendations to infill existing indented bus bays where possible. > Recommendations for longer bus stop lengths than have traditionally been provided in Auckland to-date. > Use of raised kerbs and ‘special kerbs’ (e.g. Kassel Kerbs) at bus stops to ease passenger boarding and alighting. > Use of tactile ground surface indicators (TGSIs) to aid visually impaired users. ARTA also recognises that the implementation of the step changes outlined in these guidelines will have cost implications and that a clear way forward on this still needs to be discussed between the various stakeholders. It is understood that the use of trials and pilots to successfully demonstrate the benefits of the concepts outlined in the guide will be vital to ensuring its future implementation. ARTA is looking forward to working in partnership with its stakeholders to build a bus network that not only meets the basic needs of Aucklanders, but exceeds their expectations. Bus infrastructure is a key component in making this a reality, and is at the heart of delivering an effective, efficient and accessible bus network. This is the first regional guidance produced on bus stops in Auckland and in New Zealand, and I urge you to join me in its introduction. Fergus Gammie Chief Executive ARTA iii 1. INTRODUCTION For the majority of Aucklanders the first impression of the passenger transport network in the region is at the bus stop. It is therefore important that bus stops are designed well so that they present an attractive ‘shop window’ to users. Bus stops also need to be designed well so that they meet the requirements of all users (see Box 1). A well designed bus stop will: > Be fully accessible. This means step and gap free access to buses at the bus stop itself and accessible and safe walking routes to and from the bus stop. > Have a consistency in design and provision, making it easy to identify, safe, comfortable, attractive and easy to use. > Help reduce bus travel times and improve reliability by providing optimal operational solutions. > Provide sufficient information on bus services and (where applicable) other public transport services available from the stop. > Make a positive contribution to the community streetscape. > Be designed to take other road users into consideration, e.g. the through movement of pedestrians. The purpose of these guidelines is to assist practitioners in the development of bus stops that meet the above objectives. These guidelines outline best practice planning and design principles for optimal bus stop design. They provide a framework for promoting consistency in design and in the provision of bus stop amenities. Adhering to these will improve the visibility of stops, making them easier to identify, and better suited for their use, location and potential for attracting users. Ultimately, the over-arching aim of these guidelines is to ensure that bus stops contribute towards the provision of a high-quality, attractive and accessible bus passenger transport system so that Aucklanders genuinely feel that they have a real passenger transport alternative to the private car. A well designed bus stop will help to achieve this. 1.1 Terms Of Reference The guidelines are intended for bus stops located on the proposed Quality Transit Network (QTN) and Local Connector Network (LCN) routes, as defined in the Regional Passenger Transport Network Plan (2006–2016) and summarised in Table 1. The proposed QTN routes are shown in Figure 1 on page 3 and in greater detail in Appendix A. These guidelines do not cover the following: > Branding or marketing strategy or material for bus stops. > Street furniture specifications (recommendations made are on design principles, etc). > Major transport interchanges located on the QTN or LCN routes, e.g. Onehunga Bus Interchange facilities. > Specific design treatment of cycle lanes at bus stops. It is ARTA’s intention that the above will be addressed in future