Floating Bus Stops / Bus Islands
Purpose
To eliminate the conflict between bicyclists traveling in bike lanes and transit vehicles that must pull curbside to load and unload passengers. Bus islands may also reduce conflicts with the bus and traffic in the general purpose lanes, as the need to merge from a pull-off into the general-purpose lane is eliminated.
Description
A concrete island located between travel lanes and bike lanes where transit passengers board and alight transit vehicles. Pedestrians cross the bike lane when traveling to or from the platform where the bus stop is located. Also called side boarding island bus stop.
Floating bus stops have one or two crosswalks across the bike lane and detectable warning strips. For bike lanes that are not at sidewalk level, a raised crosswalk can be implemented across the bike lane to encourage bicyclist yielding, reduce bicyclist speeds, and enhance pedestrian visibility and comfort. If a raised crossing is not provided, accessible ramps and a marked crosswalk must be provided across thebike lane. Yield signs should be used to instruct bicyclists to yield or stop for pedestrians crossing the bike lane.
Floating bus stops must be a minimum of 9 feet wide (10 feet preferred) and 40 feet long, with a 1-foot offset from the travel lane, and meet the minimum standards for an Arlington County transit stop and ADA.
Safety Benefits
- Eliminates conflicts between transit vehicles and bicyclists at stops because the bus no longer must cross the bicycle lane to access the stop or return to the general-purpose lane/travel lane.
- Reduces transit delay and increases safety by eliminating the need for the bus to merge into the general-purpose traffic lane.
- Provides more space for pedestrians by separating the passenger waiting area from the sidewalk.
- Typically, provides more space for people waiting for transit.
- May provide more space for transit amenities.
- Provides a pedestrian refuge at crosswalks.
Street Types and Context
Applicable Street Types
All streets where bus stops and separated bike lanes are both present, particularly in Urban and Urban Core contexts.
Other Location Guidance
Floating bus stops may be considered at:
- Streets with moderate to high transit frequency or ridership,
- Streets with high pedestrian or bicycle volumes, and
- Streets with planned or existing protected bike facilities.
Primary User Groups
Key Implementation Considerations
- Consider pedestrian and bicycle conflicts, especially people with limited mobility or vision impairments. All passengers must be aware of crossing bicycle lanes to access the bus stop. People with vision impairments may have difficulty determining the location of the floating bus stop and hearing approaching bicycles or scooters in the bike lane.
- Traffic control such as “Yield” or “Stop” shall be included along the bike lane before the bus stop to ensure they are aware of pedestrians who cross the bike lane.
- Designs must plan for and provide easily navigable, safe access for visually impaired persons to the bus stop.
- The space between the bike lane and the sidewalk must have a detectable warning so pedestrians with vision impairments can distinguish between the walking space and conflict space.
- Rails or pedestrian fence can be included to limit pedestrians walking across the bike lane and help to guide pedestrians to crosswalks.
- Additional measures may be needed to minimize conflicts between pedestrians and bicyclists.
Expected Crash Reduction
Expected bicycle-vehicle crash reduction.
Cost
Costs will vary based on site and project complexity
Timeline
Typically two to three or more years, depending on materials used and existing site conditions. Often implemented in conjunction with a separated bike lane project.
References