Bus Stop Design Guide
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- Diagram 7a
| 300mm and 400mm above carriageway level and whilst the kneeling mechanism on the suspension lowers the entrance step by 50 - 80mm, it does not totally resolve the difficulty faced by some in boarding from or alighting to the footway. Furthermore, activation of the kneeling system takes time, which extends bus stopping times, slowing journeys by public transport and extending delays to following traffic, and is therefore used only when there is an obvious need or when it is requested. 39 7 FOOTWAY INFRASTRUCTURE FOR BUS STOPS 7.4 The recommendations contained in this guide are designed to facilitate targets for access, comprising of step height from kerb to (kneeling) bus platform not exceeding 150mm and lateral gap from kerb face to bus platform not exceeding 200mm, without either the front or rear overhang of the bus overrunning the footway during either approach or departure (see Diagram 7a). 7.5 It is clear that to achieve these targets, passengers must board from or alight to a kerb height footway, not an area at carriageway level. 7.6 In establishing an optimum height for the kerb, it is necessary to find a compromise between, on one hand, the objective of raising the footway as near as practical with the entrance platform of the low floor bus (in kneeling mode, and on the other hand, the objective of avoiding the risk of physical contact of parts of the bus with the actual kerbstone. 7.7 Based on an analysis of Translink’s current fleet and general industry trends, it is recommended that a kerb height of 125mm will reduce the potential grounding by the latest generation of low floor vehicles. 7.8 European cities have experimented with higher raised kerb areas at bus stops to achieve level access to floor height of low floor buses.The experimental kerb height is 280mm.This is significantly more than the normal kerb height and raises safety issues for pedestrians, as well as serious damage risk to 40 |