Metrobus Transit Study.pdf - City of St. John's

St. John’s Transportation Commission (Metrobus) 2011
Market Assessment and Strategic Directions Study – Part D: Strategic Directions
Buses pulling in and out of a stop at mid-block will prompt sudden and often unsafe lane
changes.
o This is more severe if there is no bus bay and cars attempt to join a free-flowing lane
from a stopped position behind a bus.
12.3 Shelters
The presence of shelters at major transfer points should be a priority, and these should offer
protection from the elements (wind, snow and rain).
Metrobus pays for the shelters, but also earns advertising revenue from them as well. A dedicated
Sales Manager is responsible for transit advertising which includes shelters.
Metrobus’ existing service standards states that:
“Bus shelters should be placed at bus stops depending on various factors such as amount of passenger
activity and exposure to weather conditions as well as the average waiting time. Shelters should not be
considered at stops where the number of patrons boarding would be less than two (2) per hour or 25 per
day.”
This is an appropriate standard for shelters, however, more detail may be warranted to prioritize
requests for new shelters. The following factors have been used in other transit systems (in order of
priority) and may be considered for Metrobus.
1. High passenger volume boarding areas (i.e. all bus transfer locations);
2. Areas with poor microclimatic conditions (i.e. wind tunnels);
3. Inbound locations on routes over outbound locations;
4. Stops with high senior’s usage;
5. Stops that are fully accessible to and used by persons with mobility aids;
6. Stops with good lighting and visibility to minimize instances of vandalism (i.e. along major
arterial roads); and
7. Highly visible areas for advertising purposes.
The process of selecting shelter locations should be transparent and based on a clear rationale and
criteria as indicated above.
Currently, approximately 8 percent of stops within the Metrobus service area have shelters. The
current target for Metrobus is a 15 percent shelter/stop target. This target is appropriate and should
be maintained. To achieve this target, an increase in the operating budget is required. Opportunities
for shelter based advertising should continue to be sought to off-set the capital and maintenance
costs of shelters.
Recommendations:
1. Metrobus should initiate feasibility studies with property owners for terminal improvements
and transit priority measures at Avalon Mall and Village Shopping Centre;
2. Metrobus should look at terminal improvements and transit priority opportunities in the
vicinity of the Memorial University terminal. As part of a future operational review, an
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