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Global Street Design Guide Designing Streets for People Designing for Transit Riders Transit Facilities
Global Street Design Guide Index

Global Street Design Guide

Transit Facilities

Transit facilities can consist of dedicated space within the right-of-way, exclusive facilities such as transitways, or shared facilities such as transit streets. Separated transit facilities are preferred as corridor volume increases since greater separation allows for safer and faster movement of transit.

The decision of which transit facility to implement should be informed by the context of the facility and the expected ridership of the transit service. Transitways are optimal for high-occupancy, continuous corridors; transit lanes for core corridors with medium to high ridership and flexible routes; and shared transit streets for areas with heavy pedestrian volumes.

Transit Stop or Stop Zone

The stop zone is the space designated for the waiting and boarding of transit riders and can be integrated into the sidewalk, the median, or on a dedicated boarding island.

When curbside, the stop zone is adjacent to the pedestrian clear path.Shelters, seating, signs, and transit information must be located so as not to impede pedestrian accessibility.The stop zone may also be aligned with the parking lane or cycle lane, and may include green infrastructure or other curbside amenities at non-stop locations.

Transit Running Way

Most transit vehicles are 2.4–2.8 m wide, excluding mirrors; a 3 m width allows for a comfortable low-speed operating space, so long as there is flexible buffer space adjacent to the transit running way (such as a parking lane, cycle facility, or marked buffer). When operating along the curb or in a bidirectional transit configuration, a 3.3–3.5 m width allows for comfortable operation with low risk for mirror clips or sideswipes. Designate exclusive transit running way with pavement markings and signs.

Buffer Zone

The buffer zone may simply be extra roadway width assigned to the transit lane, or may be more defined, such as medians or marked/constructed buffer. Vertical features must not interfere with safe transit operation.

Adapted by Global Street Design Guide published by Island Press.

Subsections:

Facility Types

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Geometry

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