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Alternative Title:BRT accessibility guidelines
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NTL Classification:NTL-ECONOMICS AND FINANCE-Transit Economics and Finance;NTL-PLANNING AND POLICY-Transit Planning and Policy;NTL-PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION-Bus Transportation;NTL-PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION-Transit Planning and Policy;
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Abstract: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.
In Colombia, BRT systems are in different stages of
planning, implementation, and expansion. Bogota’s
well-known TransMilenio is expanding and Pereira’s
Megabús BRT system recently opened. Planning
and construction are moving forward for Cali’s El
MIO, the Metroplús system in Medellín, Metrolínea
in Bucaramanga, Transmetro in Barranquilla, and
Transcaribe in Cartagena, all scheduled to being
operation in 2007 or 2008. Colombia will thus be the
first country in the world to provide integrated
systems of mass transport in most of its major cities.
External funding for these systems is provided by the
World Bank, with the exception of Cali, where funding is provided by the Inter-American
Development Bank. Conscious of their role in promoting “transport for all” around the world,
institutions such as the World Bank are working with the national Ministry of Transport and
municipal stakeholders to promote the accessible design and operation of BRT systems in
Colombia and beyond. The Bank has learned much from the pioneering accessibility
features of TransMilenio and from Medellín’s Metro and Metrocable systems, as well as from
existing and planned BRT systems throughout Latin America. This experience, combined
with what has been learned from other regions, has resulted in the publication of these BRT
Accessibility Guidelines.
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
Construction of BRT line in
Cali, Colombia
BRT Accessibility Guidelines
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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. Costs and benefits are
discussed in a separate document, but most of the features
discussed in this guide are low cost or even without cost in
new features. The accessibility features are usually
examples of universal design which not only assist disabled
passengers but also make BRT more attractive to other
categories of passengers. The guidelines put special
emphasis on BRT features which have proven to be
problematic according to findings by planners and
passengers. Special “alert” notices are placed to further
emphasize these sections. References are provided with
further information on the topics in the guide. Information on
the references is found in the Resources section at the rear
of this report. A Check List to assist task manages to apply the guidelines is added as an
appendix. The CD version of this guide provides additional resource materials. Photos not
credited are by the author.
Appreciation is expressed to those who have commented on the draft version of these
guidelines, including but not limited to the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Colombia;
representatives of agencies in all seven of the Colombian cities operating or phasing in BRT
systems; and persons with disabilities and their NGOs in Bogotá, Cartagena, Cali,
Bucaramanga, and Medellín. Special thanks to other individual reviewers, including Arq.
Claudia Sánchez (Colombia), Dr. CGB (Kit) Mitchell (United Kingdom), Dr. Christoffel Venter
(South Africa), Arq. Silvia Coriat (Argentina), Ing. Gerhard Menckhoff (World Bank), and Lic.
María Eugenia Antúnez and Arq. Andrés Balcázar (México).
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