Transit Shelters in Motion

As mobility needs in our communities become greater and greater, the transit shelter is becoming a dominant feature in today's transportation landscape. With a little creativity and understanding of the character and uniqueness of one's community, the architecture of transit shelters and facilities can reflect the transportation system's concept of bold, graphic easily identifiable icons as gateways to the mobility system and be comparable in cost with many off-the-shelf units.

Structures should provide patrons protection from the sun and rain; allow for unobstructed views into and out of the structure; promote moderate cross-ventilation to alleviate air stagnation; prevent blowing rains or windy conditions; and incorporate benches and/or leaning rails, route maps and other appropriate customer amenities.

•Visual impact of shelter should suggest motion and mobility in sweeping, fluid, curved or angular lines. •Structures should be made of durable, vandal-resistant material. •Design should provide for low maintenance cleaning of structure and paving. •Design should be flexible to allow for additional site furnishings as the need arises. •Color should be an integral component of the visual impact of the structure. •Lighting should serve the dual purpose of providing ambient illumination to enhance safety an illuminate graphics or advertising. • The design should not create blind spots or hiding places. •Siting of shelters should not present the "face" toward oncoming traffic. •The ideal layout of covered space for each waiting passenger is 15 square feet. •An additional 25% of square footage is added to each station waiting area to allow for movement of passengers. •Rain angle should be assumed to be 30 degrees from vertical. •Access entry points shall not have less than a 36-inch wide clearance. •Shelters should have an unobstructed view of arriving vehicular traffic for standing or seated persons. •A paved area 4 feet in width and 24 feet in length should abut the back of the roadway curb to accommodate passengers exiting and loading on the bus from both the front and rear doors of the bus.

With just a little ingenuity, transit shelters can be the form giver of the transportation landscape.