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Transit Street Design Guide Index

Transit Street Design Guide
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Platform Length

Platform Length

In-Lane Stops

Enabling transit vehicles to make in-lane stops confers a broad range of operational and accessibility benefits, and can often be accomplished with little to no adverse impact on general traffic flow.

Transit stops with in-lane boarding require significantly less curb length and do not occupy sidewalk space, freeing room for alternative uses, including expanded pedestrian capacity, green infrastructure, local business access and parking, or street furnishings.

In-Lane Stop Length-01

Desired Minimum Platform Length by Vehicle Type (feet)

Stop Position      40′ Bus      60′ Bus      2 x 40′ Bus      2 x 60′ Bus
Near-Side      35      55      80      115
Far-Side      45      65      90      130
Mid-Block      35      55      80      115
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Discussion

Transit vehicles make in-lane stops using boarding bulbs, boarding islands, median platforms, or curbside sidewalk stops.

In-lane stops limit the curb length needed for efficient transit stops, preserving space for other curbside uses.

Boarding bulbs and islands minimize interruption of the sidewalk, providing comfortable space for waiting riders, and shortening crossing distances.

Stop platforms may serve a streetscape function as well, creating space for planters, bioswales, furniture, or bike parking.

Ensure platform length provides adequate space for waiting passengers at high-volume stops and routes.

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At low transit volumes, in-lane stops have little effect on street operations but reduce transit delay.

At high transit volumes, in-lane stops improve transit speed and provide room for more buses per block.

Critical

Refer to the above table for preferred platform lengths with bus stops. Rail platform length will vary based on vehicle length, but should extend from the front door through the rear door.

Callout Bubbles-09 Locate platform with at least 10 feet of clear distance from crosswalk or curb return. Measure to transit stop pole at near-side, or rear of transit vehicle at far-side.

Callout Bubbles-10 While 5 feet is the minimum curb length for a receiving facility at each boarding door (ADA Std. §810.2.2), design platforms to be continuous through all doors, and consider additional elements to improve passenger comfort (see Station & Stop Elements).

 

Callout Bubbles-11 Provide 5–10 feet of distance between each additional transit vehicle expected to be dwelling at the platform consistently throughout the day.

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Callout Bubbles-12 Design boarding bulbs and islands to accommodate proper drainage and sweeping; tight radii may require maintenance agreements to ensure bulbs are properly cleaned and maintained.

Pull-Out Stops

With pull-out stops, buses shift out of the travel lane to service stops. While they have operational benefits for transit compared to in-lane stops in certain situations, they often provide benefits chiefly for through-traffic, while slowing bus operations due to the need to shift in and out of travel lanes.

Bus zones lengths at pull-out stops include transition or taper space in addition to platform length, resulting in a need for longer clear curb zones than with in-lane stops.

Transition Distance

Pull-Out Stop Length-01

Desired Minimum Platform Length by Vehicle Type (feet)

Stop Position   40′ Bus    60′ Bus   2 x 40′ Bus   2 x 60′ Bus
Near-Side    100    120    145   185
Far-Side    90    100    125   165
Far-Side (right turn)    140    160    140   230
Mid-Block    120    145    185   210

 

Discussion

Where buses are required to pull from traffic to make stops, longer bus zones are needed to accommodate transitions to and from traffic.

Short transition distances add delay to transit service and require sharper transitions to the curb, wearing transit vehicles and infrastructure more quickly.

Enforcement is required to keep pull-out stops clear; vehicles standing or parking in the stop zone constrain the operator’s ability to pull completely to the platform.

Longer stops ease transitions into and out of stops, but require more curb length, reducing curbside parking spots.
At high-volume boarding locations, longer stops can be used to distribute queuing riders along the sidewalk and to ease pedestrian congestion.

Where buses make queue jump maneuvers, pull-out stops allow the bus to pull to the right of queued traffic and receive an advance green signal.

Where local and rapid/limited services are provided on the same route or corridor, local service may pull-out to stop at preferred transfer locations, allowing the rapid service to pass the local, and stop in-lane.

Critical

Pavement markings and NO PARKING: BUS STOP signs (MUTCD R7-107) must clearly delineate the edge of the stop zone to deter blockages.

Provide 5–10 feet of distance between each additional transit vehicle dwelling at the platform to allow a bus.

Callout Bubbles-09 Locate stop zone with at least 10 feet of clear distance from crosswalk or curb return. Measure to transit stop pole at near-side, or rear of transit vehicle at far-side.

Optional

Bus-mounted cameras can enforce vehicles blocking the stop zone.

Callout Bubbles-10 White diagonal hatch line markings may be striped to delineate the entry and exit tapers and discourage blocking.

References

References for Platform Length: 5 found.