Resource information
In recent years helpful guides have
appeared in both English and Spanish to assist planners and
officials to construct accessible buildings and pedestrian
infrastructure which are usable by seniors, persons with
disabilities, and all others who especially benefit from
universal design. Less has been written about access to
public transport systems. Very little guidance is available
concerning specific issues which confront those planning Bus
Rapid Transit (BRT) systems, mass transit systems which
incorporate a spectrum of design and operational features on
integrated trunk and feeder routes and which were initiated
in Latin America and are now spreading throughout the region
and beyond. The guidelines focus on the BRT environment and
assume that interested parties can take advantage of
existing guidelines to clarify general issues of access to
public space, buildings, and pedestrian infrastructure. The
guidelines generally follow the travel path of a passenger
using a full-featured Bus Rapid Transit system. The
accessible travel chain begins with sidewalks and pedestrian
crossings and continues into a typical mid-island station
served by buses with left-side doors (in countries where
traffic drives on the right side). Buses pull up to an
enclosed station with a ramped platform the height of the
bus floor. The guidelines then focus on station features,
crossing the gap into the bus, and bus features. Due to the
integrated nature of BRT, the guidelines focus equally on
both trunk line and feeder line issues while acknowledging
that a long-term planning process may be needed to identify
funding for improved feeder line infrastructure and vehicles.
