Author: Ben Kaufman 2015 UCLA MURP Candidate benmkaufman@gmail.com
RE-INVENTING THE BUS STOP
Faculty Advisor: Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris Client: Alameda County Transit (AC Transit)
Design Guidelines and Analysis for Transit-Friendly Parklets in Alameda County WHAT IS A PARKLET? Parklets are small curbside public spaces that provide seating and other amenities for neighborhood residents and local business customers. They generally replace two or three on-street parallel parking spaces and incorporate seating, landscaping, and bike parking into their design. Parklets are typically created through a partnership between a city agency and an adjacent business.
Client Representative: Stephen Newhouse
DESIGN RECOMMENDATIONS FOR STOPLETS Lighting • Always illuminate stoplet during evening hours • Install solar-powered lighting to avoid need for power grid connection • Whenever possible, illuminate stop signage and shelter • Locating stoplet near existing street lamp can substitute for additional lighting
Landscaping
Shelter • Construct of durable materials to withstand heavy use and exposure to elements • Maintain clear view of approaching bus (side panels should be made of transparent materials) • Locate toward front of bus stop, and in a place that does not impede pedestrian traffic, accessibility, or visibility of adjacent businesses • Whenever possible, provide light, seating, and windshield • Street trees and large umbrellas can substitute for formal shelter
• Use resilient, drought-tolerant plants • Use planters as bollards to delineate space and protect users • Foliage should be >6 feet or <2 feet so as to not obstruct sight lines • Trees and vertical plants are encouraged as they provide shade and take up less space
RESEARCH QUESTIONS Signage
• Convey public nature of the space • Locate on pole toward front of bus stop • Locate >2 feet from curb • Double-sided • Reflective for night-time visibility • Display system branding, bus stop name, bus route number, and bus route destination
1
What lessons can we learn from parklet and bus stop design that we can apply to transit-friendly parklets (or stoplets)?
2
What are the best locations in Alameda County for this new design intervention?
METHODOLOGIES This project sought to answer the first research question through a meta-analysis of the existing literature on bus stop and parklet design. Through this analysis, it highlights both compliments and conflicts between the two types of street treatments. This project sought to answer the second research question through a GIS suitability analysis of the East Bay Area in an effort to determine the best locations to construct stoplets. Data incorporated into this analysis included population density, park and parklet locations, bus routes and stop locations, street grade, bus boardings and alightings, the types of businesses around each stop, and more.
Source: NACTO Urban Street Design Guide
OPPORTUNITIES
WHAT IS A BUS BULB?
Platform
Bus bulbs are curbside bus stops whose sidewalks are extended to the edge of the parking lane, making bus trips faster and more reliable by enabling buses to pick up and drop off passengers without having to leave the travel lane. They typically create enough additional sidewalk space to allow for the installation of bus shelters and other amenities that improve the customer waiting experience.
• Use materials that are durable, slip resistant, and easily fixable • Should be able to sustain loads of >100 lbs/sq ft
COST:
Costs one twentieth (~5%) that of the typical bus bulb
Increases the amount of seating, lighting, COMFORT: landscaping, and shelter at bus stops Decreases bus travel times and increases EFFICIENCY: pedestrian flow
Drainage
Dimensions
• Maintain existing street drainage • Place a screen at either end of the drainage to keep out debris
Street Conditions Source: NACTO Urban Street Design Guide
WHAT IS A STOPLET? A stoplet is a proposed street treatment that combines the tenets of good bus stop and parklet design. Stoplets have the potential to create a low‐ cost, safe, comfortable, and people‐oriented alternative to existing bus stops that can simultaneously improve local economic vitality and transit customer satisfaction.
• Speed limit should be under 30 mph • Street slope should be less than 5% • Prioritize streets with heavy pedestrian traffic and/or narrow sidewalks
• Width should reflect existing parking lane (~6-7 feet) • Length should reflect number of buses stoplet seeks to accommodate (~40-80 feet or 1-2 bus lengths)
Accessibility System Information • Passenger information should include system branding, stop name, route map and route schedule • Whenever possible, realtime schedule and route information should be displayed
• Surface should be stable, firm, and slip-resistant • Create flush transition between platform and curb • >0.5 inch drops and >1:20 grades require wheelchair ramp • Accommodate 5-foot by 8-foot wheelchair landing pad • Accommodate space that allows wheelchair users to make 360 degree turn
Seating • Employ a mix of permanent and removable furniture • Removable furniture should be durable, light, weather-proof, and different in style from seating inside adjacent businesses • Install seating arms to assist seniors/disabled • Coordinate bench locations with existing trees, shelters, lighting, and/or landscaping to enhance protection, security and visibility • Locate >2 feet from curb • Do not install in 5-foot by 8-foot wheelchair landing pad
Results in fewer pedestrian injuries and SAFETY: deaths by narrowing the street Creates eyes on the street by attracting SECURITY: positive activity
CHALLENGES DIY design and construction makes SAFETY: stoplet more susceptible to vehicle damage Locating stoplet on street corner increases SAFETY: human and structure vulnerability Makes it difficult for bus operator to USABILITY: determine who is waiting for the bus