BENEFITS

In-lane stop style reduces transit vehicle dwell times; on busy streets, in-lane stops may reduce stop delay between 5 and 20 seconds per location. Delay reductions are amplified as traffic congestion increases.

Read More+

Boarding islands eliminate bus-bike “leapfrogging” conflict at stops, in which buses merge across the bicycle travel path at stops, causing bicycles to merge into general traffic to pass the stopped bus, only to be passed again as the bus accelerates. At boarding islands, both buses and bicycles can move straight at the stop, in their own dedicated space.

Islands provide more space for transit passengers and amenities while maintaining a clear pedestrian path on the sidewalk. Operators are able to deploy ramps or bridge plates, as needed, onto the island without disrupting pedestrian flow.

CONSIDERATIONS

Boarding islands usually require less complex drainage modifications than boarding bulbs.

At high-volume stops, it may be necessary to require people on bikes to yield to people accessing the island directly from the sidewalk. Markings, color, and signage must reinforce appropriate yield behavior.

Lateral alignment with streetcars may require realignment of general traffic lanes or bike lane.

Bicycle signals can enhance the clarity of intersection movements. Consider using bike signals with far-side boarding islands to provide a dedicated bike and pedestrian through phase, especially if high turn volumes or a right-turn pocket is present. Bike signals are also applicable at near-side boarding islands where turns are prohibited and bicycles move concurrently with other through-traffic.

RECOMMENDED

An accessible ramp should be placed at the intersection end of the island entering the crosswalk. If there is no crosswalk at the intersection, install one, with a refuge island tip to protect pedestrians (at least 6 feet wide).

For mid-block stops, include raised crosswalks across bike channel to encourage people on bikes to yield to people accessing the island.

Boarding island stops should include shelters, seating, wayfinding, and passenger information when feasible.

Shelters should be located at least 10 feet from crosswalks over the bike lane to allow visibility between people on bicycles and people exiting the island. Leaning rails may be located along this gap.

OPTIONAL

Install leaning rails along the edge of the island along the bike channel on portions of the island without a shelter or accessible boarding area. If leaning rails or fence are installed along the accessible boarding area, the total island width usually must be increased to 9 feet. Boarding islands can be extended to include bike parking, additional seating, parklets, or other community facilities.

In locations with wide sidewalks and no parking, the bike lane or cycle track may be bent in to the sidewalk to create a boarding island. In this case, raised crossings are an option to encourage yielding to people accessing the island, and to reduce bicycle speeds at the stop. Bike lanes should not generally be bent into the sidewalk to create pull-out bus stops on streets with parking lanes.

A YIELD stencil marking may be marked in the bike channel prior to the crosswalk to reinforce the requirement to yield.

Bike lanes may be narrowed to slow bicycle traffic and reduce conflicts, with a minimum 5-foot width.

Mark pedestrian crossings through bike lane. Yield teeth and other markings and signs such as YIELD stencils and BIKES YIELD TO PEDESTRIANS (MUTCD R9-6) signs inform bicyclists of the requirement to yield to pedestrians.

Where a near-side island is combined with a right-turn restriction, extend the refuge island into the intersection and reduce the curb radius to self-enforce the turn restriction and provide additional pedestrian space.

Continuing the bike lane in a protected configuration through the intersection simplifies interactions with pedestrians and provides right-turning vehicles with a place to wait as they approach the conflict zone.