There is an ever increasing sense of responsibility amongst architects, planners, designers and engineers to ensure that designs follow the spirit of equality; and this kind of responsible design is required under legislation.
To quote a Transport for London document on the subject (Accessible Bus Stop Design Guidance)
A fully accessible bus service is a critical element in delivering a fully inclusive society
So how do you ensure that something like a bus stop allows for the best possible experience for all? Two key issues identified in the area of bus stops were the height difference from bus to kerb and also the horizontal gap from bus to kerb.
Early efforts to close these gaps by producing what was simply a taller kerb introduced the unwanted side effect of excessive wear on bus tyres as drivers tried to align closely with the raised kerb. In the mid 1990s the city of Kassel in Germany began installing a locally made kerb designed specifically to reduce the gaps but also to make it easy for the bus drivers to align with the kerb.
KPC produce Bus Stop Kerbs and the accompanying tactile paving and transition kerbs. This will allow full integration into existing kerbing and provide a truly socially inclusive solution.
The solution cleverly allows the driver to approach the specially designed bus stop kerb at a shallow angle and as the bus tyre rides up along the smooth kerb profile gravity pulls it down again. the bus is now aligned closely along the length of the bus stop with no tyre damage.
See more on KPC’s Bus Stop Kerb here – Bus Stop Kerbs
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