The City of Sacramento is reconstructing a number of roadways. In most cases the bus stop facilities on those roads is very much less than optimal. The city is prioritizing other uses of streets, even on streets with high-frequency bus routes, such as SacRT route 51 on Broadway. These low quality bus stops lessen convenience and safety for transit riders, and slow buses. They also in many cases create unnecessary safety issues for other users of the roadway. This post is about the relationship of bus stops to travel lanes, the curb, and bicycle facilities. Though these best practices may also apply to bus rapid transit (BRT), this is not specifically about BRT. It is not about the amenities provided at bus stops.

High quality bus stops include:

• far-side bus stops, after intersections, so that people boarding and exiting the bus are not tempted to cross in front of the bus
• curb or platform space long enough to accommodate the length of the bus, without interference with crosswalks; this is 40 feet for regular buses; stops should be designed to accommodate all-door boarding if implemented
• in-lane bus stops; buses should never pull out of traffic except at timed stops where they may need to wait to get back on schedule; bus pull-outs delay buses and create danger and additional delay when the bus tries to re-enter traffic
• curb or platforms which are raised to allow shorter step-up/step-down to the bus, or even level boarding for major stops on high frequency routes
• bicycle facilities are separate from bus facilities at stops, to avoid delay or interference for either mode
• parking, if present, must not interfere in any way with the bus stop

Obviously not every stop will meet these criteria, nor will this high quality fit every particular street context, but this should be the starting point for all bus stops, with real justification for installing any other design. The one bus stop in Sacramento that we are aware of that is close to high quality is Broadway at 18th Street westbound, part of the Broadway Complete Streets Project. Though not shown, the bike lane will be to the left of the boarding island, creating unnecessary conflict, but it is still better than almost every other bus stop in the city. Unfortunately, this is the only high quality bus stop along this part of Broadway, or proposed along the two future sections of Broadway.

The NACTO Transit Street Design Guide has a number of relevant diagrams and supporting text and references. The guide shows a simple near-side stop, but far-side stops are preferred in most situations, and we have asked them to change it. The Side Boarding Island Stop page shows a boarding island with bikeway behind, and far-side boarding, below.

• City of Sacramento
• SacRT