Any effective urban mass transit system must have a decent bus shelter. The definition of “good,” however, varies depending on your perspective. According to the city organization in charge of overseeing it, a good shelter is one that requires little upkeep and is impervious to vandalism. According to the rider, the perfect shelter is one that is safe, pleasant, convenient, and offers clear information. It should also allow visibility and quick access to the bus stop bus. Because an underutilized shelter is a waste of money and an unneeded maintenance issue, both points of view are equally vital to take into account. Waiting for a bus can be made enjoyable and even fascinating with a well-thought-out, cozy shelter! Unfortunately, there are also a lot of shelters with subpar designs.
DESIGN
An examination of current and projected conditions, along with some understanding of the qualities of an effective shelter site and design, are necessary to determine what kind of shelter to utilize in a given area. Below is information about each factor. When determining if a bus shelter is necessary, there are a few common rules to follow. A shelter is necessary in the following situations: neighborhoods with few bus services; commercial areas with high ridership and frequent service; neighborhoods with security issues; neighborhoods with a large population of elderly or disabled individuals; and areas that frequently experience bad weather.
LOCATION
Bus shelters should be placed close to retail establishments that sell goods relating to the needs of bus passengers and are open late; close to office building doors where a security guard may see them; close to street vendors; and in close proximity to other facilities like benches, phones, and so forth. In order to prevent collisions with pedestrian traffic, bus shelters near junctions should be positioned about ten feet away from the crosswalk. The shelter should be at least 40 feet away from the crosswalk if a bus stop is on the far side of a junction to provide the bus enough space to stop. For ease of boarding and disembarking, there should be three feet between the bus shelter and the curb.
design.
ATTRIBUTES
Openings for entry and exit should be oriented to shield individuals from the wind. uses, including vendors or information kiosks, should be placed “down-stream” from the shelter. The design of a bus shelter need to be representative of the city in which it is situated. The design elements and the utilization of regional resources can help achieve this. Standard bus stop bus can frequently be modified to take into account the particularities of the location. In this regard, a well-designed bus shelter should possess four general attributes.
IDENTIFICATION
The bus must be visible to oncoming traffic. People will be forced to abandon poorly designed shelters that block views of incoming buses in order to keep an eye out for them. The bus must be easy for people to get on. For many passengers, this is the most crucial feature of a bus shelter’s layout since they prefer to be at the location where the bus door will open in order to ensure they board. This boarding procedure shouldn’t be hindered by the shelter. In addition to offering a place to sit, shelters should offer weather protection and a sense of security. People must be aware of a bus’s arrival time and destination.
CLADDING
In general, side panels shouldn’t be placed on the shelter’s curbside unless there are extremely constrained streets with a lot of traffic. People must be able to approach the buses through an entrance that is at least three feet wide if side panels are to be installed on the curbside. To prevent debris from building up inside the shelter, side panels should be positioned three inches from the ground. They won’t keep out drafts if they are higher than three inches off the ground. It is best to have a sloped roof to keep rain, snow, and debris from building up.
ILLUMINATION
Lights should be positioned to light the boarding and waiting areas and kept inside a protective casing to prevent damage. At night, backlit advertising panels in New York City illuminate the shelters with 20 lumens per square foot. Bus shelters should have a schedule, route details, and a map, but not so close that they obstruct the view of the approaching bus. A bus shelter’s size is determined by both the anticipated number of users and the temperature. Count the number of persons who now utilize a specific stop at various times of the day and week to ascertain the projected use.
MATERIALS
Since moveable parts are brittle, there should be minimal of them. It should not be necessary to remove other components or sections in order to conduct repairs; instead, parts should be simple to replace and reorder. Herculite glass side panels are robust, scratch-resistant, shatter-proof, and simple to maintain. Plexiglas and plastic are not advised since they are prone to discoloration and scratches, which make it harder to see from the shelter. For advice on the ideal mix of materials and finishes for a given space, speak with the bus shelter’s maker.
INTRGRATION
Apart from these particular concerns, it’s also critical to take the bus shelter into account in relation to the entire transit system. Therefore, the city, the transit operator, and any other parties involved in the management and upkeep of the shelter must work together. This necessitates the city’s dedication to strict control and upkeep. A well-maintained bus shelter will be more respected and less likely to be vandalized or subjected to other abuses than one that is not, according to a large body of data. As previously said, a bus shelter that is built to reduce the amount of litter collection, cleaning, and minor repairs required is also essential to a successful maintenance program.
FUNDING THE CONSTRUCTION
In many places, alternative financing methods for bus shelters are gaining popularity. One method of obtaining and maintaining shelters at no public expense is to use private contractors to build and maintain them. The money made from the bus stop bus marketing is mostly used by private contractors. It is particularly crucial that the contract between the city and the contractor specify the layout, locations, and facilities that must be included in the shelter if this financing option is chosen.