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Transit Street Design Guide Index

Transit Street Design Guide
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Stop Elements

Stop Elements

Stops are tools to attract riders, improve operational efficiency, build the brand identity of a system, and foster local economic development.

Transit stops exist on a continuum, from minimal sign-and-pole stops to fully enclosed stations. While financial constraints often limit the provision of stop elements on existing routes, investing in high-quality stops can change both the perception and reality of transit service.

The design, prominence, and comfort of a transit stop is the first indication that people receive about their own potential experience as passengers. Stop elements and design have a bearing on all the key decision points in a transit trip, affecting whether a trip is taken by transit or a competing mode, and even whether to make a specific trip at a specific time of day or in uncertain weather. Platforms enable faster boarding, good maps and signage make trips easier, and integrating stops with adjacent buildings or green infrastructure can dramatically enhance the streetscape.

Subsections:

Small Transit Shelter

Small Transit Shelter

The provision of shelters should be prioritized with the goal of improving comfort for the most passengers. Basic shelters are ideal for the passenger volumes and context of a neighborhood transit street.

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Large Transit Shelter

Large Transit Shelter

Larger shelters with signature design features like easy-to-understand information, enhanced seating or waiting areas, or landscaping elements improve perceived wait times and general passenger satisfaction.

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Seating

Seating

Providing comfortable seating at or near transit stops dramatically improves the comfort of the passenger experience. Comfortable seating can provide valuable resting places whether or not a transit trip is involved.

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Fare Vending

Fare Vending

Stop or station ticket machines allow riders to purchase single fares, add value to fare cards, or generate proof-of-payment (PoP) tickets from passes, which may coincide with all-door boarding strategies.

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Passenger Information & Wayfinding

Passenger Information & Wayfinding

Providing clear and simple information like route and system maps, schedules, expected travel times, real-time arrival times, and ridership procedures makes the system more attractive and simpler to use, and improves rider satisfaction.

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Transit Curbs

Transit Curbs

Designing a curb with transit vehicles in mind can allow vehicles to pull close to the platform and to “dock,” reducing the gap between the vehicle and the platform, and helping to facilitate level or near-level boarding.

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Bus Pads

Bus Pads

Bus pads are highly durable areas of the roadway surface at bus stops, usually constructed in concrete, addressing the common issue of asphalt distortion at bus stops.

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Green Infrastructure

Green Infrastructure

Incorporating green infrastructure into transit street design can improve water quality, detain stormwater flows, reduce the volume of stormwater runoff, and relieve burden on municipal water treatment systems.

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Bike Parking

Bike Parking

Bike parking elements can expand transit sheds, enhancing access to stop-adjacent destinations, and boosting intermodal connectivity.

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Passenger Queue Management

Passenger Queue Management

Managed boarding procedures can reduce interference and conflict with pedestrian movement adjacent to the transit stop, and make the boarding process itself more efficient.

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References