Abstract Manager

Many communities across North America, including communities across Canada, have integrated protected cycling infrastructure along corridors with transit service. A design solution that has increasingly been used involves an “island platform bus stop” which routes the protected cycling infrastructure behind the bus stop to maintain physical protection for people cycling while providing a platform for boarding and alighting transit users as well as those waiting for a bus.

This design has created conflicts between cyclists and transit users, as it requires pedestrians to cross over the bicycle lane to access the bus stop. This has introduced some barriers, particularly for people with disabilities – including people with sight loss – to access the transit system. In a 2020 decision, the BC Human Rights Tribunal (HRT) determined that by installing island platform bus stops, the City of Victoria discriminated against the complainant and members of the Canadian Federation of the Blind (CFB). This issue and ruling resulted in provincial, national, and international attention. 

TransLink, in partnership with the BC Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure recently developed the Design Guide for Bus Stops Adjacent to Cycling Infrastructure to address a significant gap in knowledge. The Design Guide provides a comprehensive set of planning and engineering guidelines offering solutions for the planning, design, operation, and maintenance of island platform bus stops in a range of contexts and applications, along with guidance for education and engagement.

The Design Guide was developed through a collaborative, comprehensive, stakeholder-driven process, including on-going engagement with transportation practitioners from across Canada and internationally, and with stakeholders with various disabilities. Additionally, some of the treatments recommended in the guide were piloted throughout five municipalities across British Columbia.

This session is proposed as an extended workshop session in three parts.  Part 1 will provide an overview of the study process, key issues identified, and recommended design guidelines. Part 2 will feature a panel with municipal staff from each of the five pilot municipalities (City of Vancouver, City of North Vancouver, City of Kelowna, City of Nanaimo, and District of Saanich) to share their experiences and lessons learned.  Finally, Part 3 will include applied learning to travel to floating bus stops in the City of Vancouver to experience the issues and mitigation measures first-hand. 

This session will be led by Urban Systems and TransLink, with participation confirmed from staff from all five pilot municipalities.