Design of fully accessible bus stops infrastructure: elements for buses and drivers
Document Type
Conference Paper
Publication Date
1-1999
Subject Area
infrastructure - stop, ridership - drivers, mode - bus
Abstract
EXCALIBUR is a project developed by a partnership between an academic institution, a public transport authority, local government, a bus operator and a materials provider. It addresses the design of fully accessible bus stops by researching users' needs and the functionality of various elements of a bus stop. EXCALIBUR is tackling this design issue from first principles, bringing the work to a practical conclusion by constructing a small number of bus stops on-street so that the design elements can be monitored and evaluated. To be fully accessible, a bus stop must provide a barrier-flee environment for people with a wide range of mobility and sensory impairments. This is becoming more important as the impacts of legislation - principally the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) and its associated regulations - reach the public transport industry. It will be incumbent on operators to ensure that all new buses are fully accessible under Part V of the DDA. Many operators are already purchasing low-floor buses and have found benefits from additional demand, especially from people with pushchairs and heavy shopping. However, the provision of a low-floor bus does not provide additional accessibility to people if they cannot reach the bus. This means that bus stops and the pedestrian environment generally have to be designed with accessibility in mind. This paper reports the results from the first phase of the Excalibur project. This was an experimental exercise to test the elements of bus stop infrastructure design.
Recommended Citation
Tyler, N., & Caiaffa, M. (1999). Design of fully accessible bus stops infrastructure: elements for buses and drivers. Paper from The Association for European Transport Conference held in Cambridge on 1 January 1999.
Comments
Permission to publish abstract given by AET.