by Philip Barharn, Philip Oxley, Tony Shaw and Christine Gallon (Cranfield University) Project Report 83 ,. S308E/DP The Transport Research Laboratory is an executive agency of the Department of Transport. It provides technical help and advice based on research to enable the Government to set standards for highway and vehicle design, to formulate policies on road safety, transport and the environment, and to encourage good traffic engineering practice. TRLalso sells its services, acting as contractor, consultantor providing facilities and staff ona fee-paying basis for customers in the private sector. TRUs expertise ranges from the constructionof highways, bridges andtunnels, to all forms of road safety, traffic control and driver behaviour. For instance, highways and structures research at TRL develops improved materials and methods which enable earthworks, roads and bridges to be designed, built and maintained more cost-effectively. New ways of reinforcing earth can cut construction costs, while bridges can be modified to reduce corrosion. Road surfaces developed at TRL can reduce noise and cut wet-weather road spray from lorries by 90 per cent. Safety research varies from monitoring the incidence of drinking and driving and devising ways of reducing it, to improving junction designs and cooperating with European partners on new standards for improved impact protection in vehicles. Traffic research seeks to make the most of existing roads by, for instance, improving traffic signal coordination and devising systems which help drivers avoid congestion. Other research looks at the effectiveness of parking controls and improved crossings for pedestrians. TRL research also informs Government transport policy by studying, for example, the effects of bus deregulation and how land use interacts with the road and rail transport system. TRL employs around 600 scientists, engineers and support staff. Its headquarters are at Crowthorne, Berkshire where its facilities include a 3.8km test track, a structures hall where bridge structures can be stressed to breaking point, a facility for carrying out accelerated tests on road structures, and advanced computer systems which are used to develop traffic control programs. TRL Scotland is situated in Livingston, near Edinburgh, where the staff are concerned mainly with research and advisory work in the fields of ground engineering, bridges and road pavements. This unit has responsibility for all TRL work in Scotland. A large proportion of the research is sub-contracted to industry, consultants and universities. The Laboratory also collaborates with local authorities and other organisations within Europe and elsewhere. In addition, TRL expertise is provided to developing countries as part of Britain’s overseas aid programme. For more information: TRL Public Relations, 0344770587 TRANSPORT RESEARCH LABORATORY An Executive Agency of the Department of Transport +Zakm PROJECT REPORT 83 DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE - TECHNICAL REPORT by Philip Barham, Philip Oxley, Tony Shaw and Christine Gallon Prepared for: Project Record: S308UDP Terminal Design Customer: Mobility Unit, DOT (Miss A Frye) Copytight Controller of HMSO 1994. Reproduced by permission of the Controller of HMSO. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Department of Transport, The Transport Research Laboratory is no longer an Executive Agency of the Department of Transport as ownership was transferred to a subsidiary of the Transpoti Research Foundation on 1st April 1996. Environment Resource Centre Transport Research Laboratory Crowthorne, Berkshire, RG11 6AU 1994 ISSN 0968-4093 ABSTRACT This technical report is a compdation of information gathered for a project commissioned by the Transport Research hboratory on behalf of the Department of Transport Mobility Unit, the Passenger Transport Executives Group and the London Transport Unit for Disabled Passengers. The objective was the production of guidelines for the design of accessible public tlanspolt infrasm]cture: “Accessible Pubfic Transport hfrmtructure - guidelines for the design of interchanges, terminals and stops”. The aim WM to provide architects, planners and designers with guidance on how to design public transport buildings and other features of the physical environment to be accessible to passengers with all kinds of mobfity and sensory imptien~ As well as physical accessibility the guidelines cover signage, street furniture, off vehicle ticket sales facilities, pubhc conveniences, waiting and refreshment facilities, security issues and lighting and heating s~dards. A broad definition of mobility impairment considers ambulant disabled passengers, wheelchair users, and those with sensory impairments and learning difficulties. A literature search provided information on rese:lrch on which guidelines and standads could be breed. Use was dso made of existing guidehnes and design standards issued by government departmen~ in Europe md North herica, including those published by the British Standards Institute in the UK. Examples of good and bad practice are given to illustrate the recommendations for good design. Questionnaire surveys of transport providers were undetien to obtain information on cul~ent policies on signage and vanddism. As well as specifying dimensions for vmious aspects of tie physical environment, the report discusses the generdprinciples ofaccessibledesign, and concllldes that it israre fora single design to represent the optimum solution in M situations; since site-specific considerations often come into play, it is important to understand the tiade-offs that we involved. Emphasis is also placed on the need for staff to be trained to provide for the needs of trave~ers with mobility or sensory impairments. and on the importance of providing a safe, clean comfortable and ultimately fliendly environment for passengers. CONTENTS Page AC~OWLEDGE~NTS PART A : ~TRODUCTION 1. The Ati of the Report 1 1.1 Background to the report 1.2 Objwtives 1.3 Mobility impairment - general statement of the problem 2. Methodology 4 3. Design Guidelines Currently Avatiable 5 PART B : ACCESS~~ITY ISS~ 4. Layout and Design of Bus Stations 7 4.1 Bus stations : lomtion 7 4.2 Bus stations : layout 7 4.3 Interchanges 14 4.4 Railway stations 14 4.5 Design principles 15 4.6 Provisions for “Orange Badge” holders 16 5. Accws To, and Within, Bufldings 17 5.1 The general accessibility of transport-relatd buildings 17 5.2 Doors 17 5.3 Stirways, ramps and lifts 25 5.4 Lifts and esdators 36 5.5 Platforms and tunnels 46 5.6 Footbridges and underpasses 49 6. Station Furniture 50 6.1 Ticket barriers, counters and machines 50 6.2 Telephones 57 6.3 Lamp columns, bollards and similar objects 60 6.4 Guard rails 60 6.5 Other obstructions 61 PART C : ~E PROVISION OF FAC~IT~ AND-~ORMATION 7. Seating and Waiting Areas 63 7.1 Smts 63 7.2 Priority seating 70 7.3 Waiting rooms 70 7.4 Catering and refreshments facilities 70 CONTENTS (Cent’d~ m 8. Signage 71 8.1 Basic principles 71 8.2 Size of lettering 74 8.3 Use of colour md contrast 77 8.4 Dirwtiond arrows 78 8.5 Pictograms 82 8.6 Typeface 83 8.7 Location of signs 83 8.8 Type of display 87 8.9 Results of survey on transport providers ad signage 8.10 Provisions for people with sensory impairments E 8.11 Provisions for people with lining difficulties or other cognitive impairments 91 9. Sanitiry Convenience 96 9.1 Toilets 96 9.2 Babycare and childcare facilities 99 9.3 “Dog 100s” 100 PART D : ISSU~ OF SAFETY AND PERSONAL SECURITY 10. Health and Safety ksues 103 10.1 Lighting 103 10.2 Glass windows, doors and shop fronts 103 11. Personal Security, Vandalism and Graffiti 105 11.1 Personal security of passengers 105 11.2 Vanddism and graffiti 106 PART E : OTHER ISS~ 12. Consultation and Training 110 12.1 Consultation with groups representing people with disabilities 110 12.2 Disability awareness training 110 13. Bus Stops and Bus Shelters 111 13.1 Bus stops 111 13.2 Bus shelters 114 13.3 Bus-friendly traffic engineering m=sures 117 PART F : CONCLUSION AND RECOWNDATIONS 14. Conclusion 118 15. Itemised L~t of Recommendations 120 REFERENCES 127 APPE~~ 130 1. The Ati of the Repoti 1.1 Back~round..to the .rewrt - In recent y- there has been an increasing awareness that a substantial proportion of the population find traveling by public transport difficult or impossible. Considerable resmch has b~n tied out on the design of public transport vehicles - particularly buses - aimed at producing design standards that m=t the nds of many mobility impaired people. The Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee @PTAC) producd the “Recommended S~ification for Buses Usd to Operate bd Bus Services”, which provided design guidelines which, if followed, would enable the grwt majority of ambulant disabled paple to use ordinary buses. More r=entiy consideration is being given to the introduction of new, low-floor buses which can be used by- passengers in wheelchairs. Other public transport services, including British Rti, either have drady developed, or are considering the development of, fully accessible vehicles. Mile an accessible vehicle is obviously a key component in making travel ~sier, or even possible at dl, for people with a mobility impairment, it is only one part of the transport system . If people are to use new generation accessible vehicles, they must dso be able to gain access to the infrastructure that enables them to use those vehicles. The term “infras~cture” in this context refers to the terminals, stations and interchanges that form a major part of any -sport system, and to dl of the components of a system that enable members of the public to use the transportation facilities provided - these include mahanisms for moving people within terminals, boarding facilities, mas of disseminating information to passengers about services, methods of enabling passengers to purchase tickets and other essential facilities such as toilets, refreshments, sating etc. Again, in recent yms, some of the designers and providers of transport infrastructure have paid attention to the n~s of the mobility handicapped and have made significant improvements in the s~dard of fixed facilities.