Linear design the acceptable design for a Metro-type bus station

 

I see the vaunted Christchurch bus station which is of a saw-tooth design has had a few err hiccups.

From Stuff:

Bus drivers are blaming a “complete flop” of an automation system for 13 bus crashes at Christchurch’s new bus interchange.

The regional council (Environment Canterbury) blamed “driver error” for the crashes at the $53 million Lichfield St facility which opened on May 25.

Two of the crashes were bus-to-bus collisions. Six crashes involved a reversing bus hitting a temporary fence. Four involved buses hitting a bollard and one involved a bus hitting the right side of the bay when reversing.

The bus exchange in Christchurch has had 13 crashes since opening last month.

The accidents caused $5000 of damage to buses, including rear panel damage, a broken window, a broken rear vision mirror and various paint scrapes.

The Amalgamated Workers’ Union (Awunz) raised concerns over the interchange’s design last March.

ECan blamed the crashes on drivers not checking their rear view mirrors, but Awunz assistant secretary Lindsay Chappell said this was “incorrect”.

……

Source, full article and video: http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/69457515/13-crashes-at-new-christchurch-bus-exchange

 

In short metro buses are not designed to back up from metro bus stations especially if there is a lot of buses moving through it as you expect in an urban bus station. Inter-city buses in inter-city terminals are often in a better situation but that is owing to volume in the terminal being less than a metro station.

 

Rule of thumb? You do not build saw-tooth bus designed metro bus stations EVER! So while ECan were silly enough to do it Auckland does not escape with Auckland Transport having a go at a 25-30 saw-tooth bay design for the Manukau (metro) Bus Interchange. I’ve already told Auckland Transport it wont work (let alone the amount of bays being overkill) but they are proceeding with a third version of the design.

 

It will most likely be a case of told you so to AT if we end up with the same type of accidents at Manukau as are occurring in Christchurch.

This is why we do LINEAR bus bays for metro bus stations rather than saw-tooth. Buses in one end and straight out the other without needing to reverse back into the main path of other buses.

Linear designs are also more efficient and time in movements and loading as well as safer.

 

Probably time for the Auckland Development Committee to be a bit more “firm” with Auckland Transport in getting a safe and efficient linear bus station for Manukau. Unless we really want a repeat of Christchurch.