Categories
Built Environment Review Transportation

Navigating the Pros and Cons of Floating Bus Stop Design

Floating Bus Stops: An Exploration

Editor’s Note: In this post, we delve into the advantages and challenges of Floating Bus Stops, considering their impact on accessibility and drawing from my personal experience as an individual with a disability. To begin, let's clarify what a Floating Bus Stop entails: it's a design solution that incorporates a bus stop, pedestrian sidewalk, and a dedicated bike lane. Transit and city planners have been experimenting with this approach to accommodate safe bus pick-ups and drop-offs while maintaining bike lanes. Commuters using these bus stops must traverse the bike lane to access the floating stop or reach the pedestrian sidewalk.

Recently, I embarked on a journey of discovery to explore the concept of floating bus stops. My objective was to formulate a fact-based opinion on this recently implemented transportation solution. This exploration involved participating in a series of workshops organized by Urban Systems Inc., which were funded by BC Transit, TransLink, and the BC Ministry of Transportation. It also included on-site visits to floating bus stops in Metro Vancouver. Today, I am eager to share my insights and reflections on this matter.

First and foremost, I want to express my sincere appreciation to all the workshop participants. Special thanks go to individuals like Linda, Rob, Richard, Bruce, and many other volunteer stakeholders who generously shared their experiences. It's essential to recognize that these contributors often provide invaluable insights without financial compensation, raising questions about equitable remuneration. This issue seems to persist in our society, where paid consultants frequently take the lead, overshadowing the contributions of those most impacted by the policies under consideration.

During our discussions, one aspect that left me disheartened was the use of the term "inclusive bus stops" by Urban Systems Inc. facilitators to describe floating bus stops. As a longtime advocate for accessibility and inclusion, I feel compelled to clarify that this terminology is, at best, misleading and, at worst, a misnomer. Whether this term arises from ignorance or serves as a public relations strategy, it should be avoided.

From a technical standpoint, the concept of floating bus stops, which separates buses and cyclists into designated lanes, has its merits. It offers a safer and more efficient route for bus drivers, eliminating the need to navigate through traffic and reduces conflicts between buses and cyclists sharing the same lane. This aligns with the public's support for greener, healthier cities and the incorporation of bike lanes into urban design. It's worth noting that many visually impaired individuals enjoy tandem cycling with sighted friends and family, underscoring the importance of accommodating both cyclists and pedestrians.

However, the current design of floating bus stops unintentionally pits cyclists against individuals who are blind. This conflict arises from poor design rather than conflicting desires of these two groups. Public transportation by bus is universally accessible, catering to a diverse range of commuters, including individuals with disabilities, seniors, students, new immigrants and young families. BC Transit buses are designed to accommodate cyclists, wheelchair users, and provide support for blind individuals to navigate the system independently and safely. Discount passes also make bus travel more affordable for those with limited incomes.

For individuals with disabilities, who often rely on buses as their primary means of independent transportation, the need to cross a potentially hazardous area like a bike lane to access a bus creates a significant access barrier. Navigating to a floating bus stop is especially unsafe for blind and low vision pedestrians. Unlike crossing automobile traffic light-controlled intersections, where the sound of traffic flow patterns can be relied upon, crossing a bike lane lacks the sound cues that blind individuals rely on to determine when it is safe to cross. This situation leads to frustration and anger on both sides when a blind person enters the bike lane unexpectedly, causing conflicts with cyclists. Additionally, the lack of consistent adherence by a significant percentage of cyclists to the rules of the road, even with marked and signal-controlled crossings, creates uncertainty and anxiety for blind individuals when crossing a bike lane. Moreover, in my discussions outside of the workshops this is a common  concern shared  by many others.

Considering these points, it becomes evident that the concept of floating bus stops, in its current form, is deeply flawed. Placing high-risk interactions in the path of those who rely on the most accessible, inclusive, and universal mode of transportation is not a viable solution. While it may seem sustainable on paper, it disregards the concerns of the most vulnerable members of our community.

While our primary concerns have centered around the needs of commuters who are blind or have low vision, opposition to floating bus stops extends beyond this demographic. It encompasses various groups, including but not limited to wheelchair users, young families, and seniors, who share similar and additional  reservations and concerns.

In my understanding of city and transit planning, it's apparent that our community leaders need to actively listen, comprehend the issues, and guide city and transportation planners toward a better solution that does not involve floating bus stops. Placing high-risk interactions in the path of commuters on their way to access the most accessible and inclusive mode of transportation may seem enticing theoretically, but it falls short when examined in the practical light of day. It's time to prioritize safe transportation for all, rather than perpetuating conflicts and neglecting the concerns of the most vulnerable among us.

About the Author: David resides in North Vancouver with his wife, Karyn, and their teenage children, all avid transit users. David is also a co-founder of Gateway Navigation CCC Ltd, a company dedicated to advancing digital accessibility and inclusion in both the built environment and internet. To learn more about the type of  projects Gateway supports, you can visit the IMAGE Project and the Shared Reality Lab.

Contact David by email at david@gnc3.com with any questions, suggestions or feedback.

Categories
Built Environment Innovation Transportation

Accessible Digital Wayfinding

Making Complicated Transit Hubs Easier to Navigate

In our role  as a social impact company. Gateway Navigation CCC Ltd. has been promoting the technology of accessible digital augmented reality (AR) wayfinding since 2017. Which is why we are so excited with the ground-breaking work being implemented by tech start up companies, Waymap, Accessibuild and Goodmaps. Using standardized accessible digital maps of the built environment to create inclusive digital wayfinding tools.

These companies are applying their innovative and unique proprietary solutions, enabling all users to navigate with confidence and enhancing the opportunities for everyone  to explore and better understand their surroundings. These initiatives are being supported by forward thinking and socially progressive municipalities elsewhere in the world. However, across Canada, it is only a handful of public institutions and private corporations that have recognized the importance of universal accessibility and have taken the lead. While this is encouraging, these scattered islands of accessibility can only be connected if municipal and regional institutions step up.

Recently, Gateway Navigation partnered with Waymap, Accessibuild and wayfinding experts at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), to respond to an RFP call for submissions from TransLink for an accessible digital wayfinding pilot for Vancouver Metro Transit. The proposal outlined a pilot to use the Accessibuild digital mapping expertise with the Waymap app at Waterfront Station, one of Metro Vancouver’s busiest transit interchanges.

To implement these solutions in BC and across Canada, we need local and regional governments, transit authorities and others to step up as they recently did in Washington DC. The attached article and interview, with Tom Pey, CEO Waymap, describes the accessibility service now being implemented by Washington DC Metro across its entire network of stations and bus stops.

App to Help Blind People Navigate Public Transit to Debut in Washington – Inside Telecom - Inside Telecom

It remains our vision to implement a similar digital navigation system across the transit system in Metro Vancouver.

How can you help? Share our vision with your friends, family and colleagues.

For more information email us at partners@gnc3.com

Happy travels,.

The Team at Gateway Navigation.

Categories
Innovation New Product 2020 IABN News

Waymap App: Inclusive Audio-Based Navigation Systems

One Step Forward: Advancing Sustainable and Reliable Wayfinding Technology for Persons Who Are Blind

Editors note: Gateway Navigation CCC Ltd., in support of White Cane Week 2020 we have created a series of articles highlighting information on innovations, standards, projects and advocacy related to indoor audio-based navigation Systems. Gateway Navigation provides consultant services that engage stakeholders and partners in creating human centred, well-engineered and inclusive wayfinding solutions.

White Cane Week 2020 is Sunday, February 2nd through Saturday, February 8thThis important week of community outreach and raising public awareness by the members and friends of the Canadian Council of the Blind. Shares information on the programs, services and advocacy promoting an inclusive and barrier free Canada for all persons who are blind, deaf-blind and visually impaired.

Innovation: Inclusive Audio-Based Navigation Systems

The challenge of orientation to indoor environments and Indoor Navigation for individuals with disabilities for people who are blind or visually impaired, obtaining and using information to support independent travel and finding directions to walk around public spaces and buildings is a critical requirement.

Up until now, GPS, BLE Beacons and Wi-Fi have been the main technology players in the journey to delivering reliable, accurate and economically sustainable indoor audio-based navigation networks.  Unfortunately, none have been able to break through with wide market acceptance. The good news and what we wanted to share, is the wait may be over!

Cambridge Consultants and its parent organization Altran are global leaders in Engineering and R&D services. Utilizing a recent breakthrough called Trace Technology. Cambridge Consultants has partnered with Waymap to create a unique smartphone service that assists people who are blind or visually impaired to navigate through complex indoor spaces, such as public transport hubs and universities.

Trace is a breakthrough in indoor location tracking using the tiny, low-cost inertial sensors found in smartphones, coupled with ingenious data fusion algorithms. Crucially, Trace is not reliant on external references or GPS. Cambridge Consultants developed bespoke algorithms that harness its deep understanding of inertial sensors and the mechanics of human motion, gained from extensive work in fitness technology development. The system aims to locate the user to within half a meter - a single step – a new and necessary level of accuracy needed in order to deliver reliable audio navigation.

In 2019, Waymap tested and trialed the system in Los Angeles and New York. Product launch is scheduled for some time in 2020.

Subscribe to our updates and we'll keep you looped in as this and other exciting advances to greater independence in way-finding are explored.

Visit Gateway Navigation’s Website for more information about indoor and outdoor audio-based navigation systems and our services at: www.gnc3.com or email us at partners@gnc3.com

 

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Categories
Human Rights

Under Represented, Under Funded, Under Served

Man using white cane searching for bus stop

Under Represented, Under Funded, Under Served

Republished Post From October 16, 2018 / See update in comments below.

By David Brun, Director, Gateway Navigation CCC Limited Website: www.gnc3.com

A recent shout-out by Rob Sleath a disability Advocate and Consultant. Frustrated by 20-years of inaction by TransLink to implement accessible bus stops for the blind and partially-sighted. Reflects a historic reality of the visually-impaired consumer.  Being under represented in policy making; under funded in Public and Private Sector investment; and not surprisingly under served in most areas in which equal access is considered a fundamental human right.

In 1998 a group of blind consumers and members of the TransLink Disability Advisory Group. Presented TransLink’s Executive with detailed information and their recommendation for the implementation of universally designed accessible bus stops. Like level entry curbs at intersections used by individuals with mobility challenges. This design standard would assist the nearly 1-million Canadians that are blind or partially-sighted to more safely, confidently and effortlessly access buses within the public transit system. The fact that nothing has happened in over 20-years of dialogue between visually-impaired consumers and the Metro Vancouver Transit Authority – in creating accessible bus stops. Reflects a lack of meaningful dialogue to move forward on this important issue.

The Directors of Gateway Navigation CCC Limited and our Advisors from the Canadian Council of the Blind. Agree and support the position that 20-years of inaction in creating accessible bus stops is unacceptable. We would also conclude that the consultation process being used by TransLink needs to be re-evaluated. As the involvement of stakeholders and setting their roles and responsibilities is fundamental to building equal access in public transit.

Gateway is committed to promoting and participating in a consultation process as outlined in the Ontario Human Rights Commission Report on Equal Access to Public Transit: March 27, 2002. Only by bringing stakeholders together and defining roles and responsibilities can we move from inaction to action. By being part of the decision-making process, developing sustainable solutions funded by both public and private investment. Will contribute to the goal of achieving equal access in public transit for all users.

Please comment on this post and let us know what you think.

The following is the OHRC Executive Summary from the above Report.

“Equal access by persons with disabilities, older Ontarians, and families with young children to adequate, dignified public transit services is a right protected under the Ontario Human Rights Code. For many, it is also a necessity – to obtain an education, find and keep a job, or use basic public services like health care. Lack of access to transit may also lead to isolation, as visiting friends or participating in the life of the community becomes difficult or impossible.

Recognizing the importance of accessible public transportation to the ability of persons with disabilities, older Ontarians, and families with young children to fully and equally participate in their communities, during 2001 the Ontario Human Rights Commission consulted with transit providers, seniors’ organizations, disability consumer groups, labour organizations, advocacy groups and individuals regarding the status of accessible transit in Ontario.

Unfortunately, equal access to transit services is far from reality for many Ontarians. While many improvements have been made in recent years to improve the accessibility of conventional transit services, such as increased use of low-floor or lift-equipped buses, and modifications to bus and subway stations, progress remains slow, and many of Ontario’s transit systems anticipate that it will take 15 years or more to achieve maximum accessibility. At the same time, there are troubling limitations in many of Ontario’s specialized or paratransit systems. Patrons too often face restrictive eligibility criteria, long waits for rides, punitive cancellation policies, and unequal fare structures.

Improvements in accessibility of public transit services have been hampered by a lack of resources. Public funding for transit in Ontario is relatively low, accounting for only 25% of revenues, the rest coming from the fare box, as compared to American transit systems, which typically receive about 60% of their revenue from public sources.

Another stumbling block has been the lack of common, objective standards or benchmarks for accessible transit services. Standards are essential in motivating and sustaining increased accessibility, as well as in ensuring that access to transit is not contingent on where in Ontario people live.

Accessible transit is a complex issue, involving many players. For advances to be made, all players – transit providers, municipalities, senior levels of government, non-governmental organizations, the Ontario Human Rights Commission itself, and persons with disabilities - must rethink their roles and responsibilities, and work together to find solutions.

The Commission recommends that transit providers set a goal of full integration and accessibility; design inclusively when developing new policies and procedures, creating new services, or building or purchasing new structures or capital equipment; develop and maintain plans to achieve full integration and accessibility; involve persons with disabilities, and older Ontarians when planning accessibility improvements; and take all steps short of undue hardship to achieve integration and maximum accessibility.

The Ministry of Transportation has an important role to play in this field and should take accessibility issues into account when considering transit funding initiatives. As well, the passage of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act and the creation of the Accessibility Directorate create a timely opportunity to address the urgent need for standards for accessible transit services.

The Commission itself will continue to take an active role in furthering transit accessibility. It will work with transit service providers to ensure they understand their human rights obligations and work to fulfill them. As well, the Commission will continue to monitor developments in this area, and to raise awareness about these issues through a variety of communication mediums.”

End of Document

Categories
News

BLE Beacons and Wayfindr App Create Indoor GPS at LA’s Union Station – News 1