Bus Rapid Transit Station - 5-Star BRT station

BRT As roads become more crowded, gas more expensive and concern for air quality and sustainability greater, many cities may dream of slick metro and rail systems. Unfortunately these may be out of financial reach or impractical for widely dispersed areas.

A proper BRT can be a financally viable and attractive solution for cities that need better regional public transit, but if the goal is to attract riders and some of the development potential of rapid transit, then it ought to be BRT with proper stations, in addition to (of course) 100% isolated rights of ways.

This is surprisingly similar to what we might expect in a metro or subway stations (in contrast to open-air shelters):

- conveniently located (access at major commercial areas, intersections)
- enclosed stations (no wind, no rain, potential to be cooled/heated)
-level walk-in boarding to vehicles via multiple doors
- ticket/card window/machine near the entrance
- smart card or fare card tursnstiles to enter the station
- small gap (wheelchairs and strollers just roll on)
- sets of sliding doors on the station platform that only open when the bus arrives

Imagine that *every single* station is as complete as this - total uniformity and high functionality. Interestingly there are no BRT systems with fully consistent and uniform stations in North America.

This one is from Latin America and a similar station style has been used in cities from ranging from half a million people to 8 million people.

Why there and not elsewhere? - possibly becuase in Latin America so much of the population relies on public transport, they have no choice but to build well.

One might think that with weather considerations that BRT (and LRT) systems in North America would have nice enclosed stations - but that has not been the situation. Such significant investment in station infrastructure can also be a visible sign of commitment to transit by a local government or transit authority - residents can be assured that routes will not change from year to year since stations are fixed elements - giving transit systems a sense of permanence.

Despite what they do for helping keep cars off the road transit riders are often treated like second class citizens in North America. Its refreshing to see that this isn't the case elsewhere.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• BRT
• LRT
• Bus Rapid Transit
• Transit
• Rapid Bus
• Metro
• Rail
• Sustainable
• Urban
• Subway
• Kyoto

[mobilitymatters]

surprisingly similar to what we might expect in a metro station:

-level boarding platform

- small gap (wheelchairs and strollers just roll on)

-several sets of sliding doors

-ticket window to enter the station

-tursnstiles to enter the station

-weather protection in the stations

These features are important aspects of what make many rail systems work, but when applied to a Bus Rapid Transit system have a similar effect.

There are no full BRT systems in North America

[mobilitymatters]

As roads become more crowded, and concern for air quality and sustainability greater, many cities may dream of slick metro and rail systems. Unfortunatly these may be out of financial reach or impractical for widely dispersed areas.

I think that full-service BRT can be a viable and attractive solution for cities that need better public transit, but if the goal is to attract riders, then it ought to be full-BRT.