3/6/2015· Transportation
Stop Positioning and Crossing Orientation
By: Ned Einstein
Except in rural areas with vast distances between intersections, a bus stop can reasonably be placed in one of three positions:
Orginally Published By National Bus Trader, June, 2018
By: Ned Einstein
Tel: 212-766-1121
Email Mr. Einstein
For each route in each direction, transit stops are almost always located on one side of an intersection, not both. Stops just before the intersection are referred to as 'near-side' stops. Those just after the intersection are referred to as 'far-side' stops.
For decades, and still-debated, there are trade-offs between these two stop positions, although mid-block stops are nearly taboo for transit service. The "Bible" for evaluating these trade-offs is TCRP Report #19: Guidelines for the Design and Location of Bus Stops. The latest thinking is that, if all things are equal, far-side stops have more advantages and fewer disadvantages than near-side stops. Of course, things are rarely equal, and serious consideration should be given to the best position near the intersection at which to place a stop.
I too could write a book about the numerous considerations in stop selection, particularly as a veteran expert witness in nearly 100 law suits involving crossing. Many of these cases involved mid-block stops, and many involved modes of public transportation other than fixed route transit. But these issues are not the point of this article. The point of this article is that, in fixed route service, bus stops are almost always designated. The principal exceptions for fixed route transit service stops occur:
The problem is that, other than with these two exceptions, transit drivers often deviate from the stop's designated position with respect to an intersection, and stop on the opposite side of it. A few examples from my experience should provide some insight into the consequences:
In simple terms, many drivers "sell out" their passengers for a minute or two in which to catch their breath at the end of a run.
One important and dangerous thing about safety compromises is, once again, the fact that they are almost always deliberate. What makes them so dangerous is that multiple compromises are often made, compounding the risks more greatly than any of them would individually. The most common safety compromise is a tight schedule with little or no recovery time in all or most runs, and often negative recovery time. With this compromise, a driver must create the opportunity to catch his or her breath by committing other compromises.
Many transit schedules are so tight that they remain tight even with the insidious "white line rule," whereby most passengers boarding are not provided with time to reach a seat or stanchion before the vehicle zooms off. In a lawsuit where both of these compromises occurred, I rode and timed the schedule (to find it had less than no recovery time). Along the way, the driver casually told me that once a passenger steps over the line, "he is fair game." Citing this chat in my deposition frightened the defendant's counsel into offering a lucrative settlement. Yet I have ridden and timed numerous routes with tight schedules whose drivers routinely committed this compromise yet the schedule was still 20 to 30 minutes too tight -- sometimes on a run less than 90 minutes long. In another case (see "The Mysterious Force" in NBT issue December, 2001), I timed a route with 55 minutes of cycle time (the time for it on the schedule) which took 75 minutes to complete (its running time). Compounding this illusion, the contract service provider was literally embezzling vehicles out of the route. This crime was undetectable to a normal contract manager bureaucrat since no runs operated remotely as the schedule suggested they would. Keep in mind that negligent monitoring is the Achilles Heel of public transportation in the United States, as it is in many other countries.
The point is that, when the schedule is obscenely too tight even without letting most passengers reach a seat or stanchion before pulling out (wait for the next installment of this series, or see safetycompromises.com), additional compromises like stopping on the wrong side of the intersection are inviting.
Not remotely in their defense, drivers are not always tuned into the fact that the designated stops (at least in urban systems) enjoy the benefits of "stop treatment" -- including a flat, stable surface onto which one can alight. The jury is still out as to whether knowing this would make any difference to a driver yearning to catch his or her breath.
Ned Einstein is the President of Transportation Alternatives, a passenger transportation and automotive consortium engaged in consulting and forensic accident investigation and analysis (more than 600 cases). Specializes in elderly, disabled, schoolchildren. Mr. Einstein has been qualified as an Expert Witness in accident analysis, testimony and mediation in vehicle and pedestrian accidents involving transit, paratransit, schoolbus, motorcoach, special education, non-emergency medical transportation, taxi, shuttle, child transport systems and services...
©Copyright - All Rights Reserved
DO NOT REPRODUCE WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION BY AUTHOR.
3/6/2015· Transportation
Stop Positioning and Crossing Orientation
By: Ned Einstein
Except in rural areas with vast distances between intersections, a bus stop can reasonably be placed in one of three positions:
1/9/2021· Transportation
Wheelchair Tipovers – A Tort Lawyer’s Paradise
By: Ned Einstein
As an expert witness (see transalt.com), I have found it surprising that the vast majority of incidents and accidents occur when the vehicle is not even moving. One fourth of the more than 600 cases I’ve done involved simply getting on and off the vehicle.
3/28/2025· Transportation
The Misuse And Underuse Of Video Cameras
By: Ned Einstein
This article will address a theme that continues to pop up more and more in the lawsuits on which I work, as an expert witness, in various modes of public transportation: The use of video cameras as part of the industry’s monitoring efforts - the industry’s weakest link.