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Designing for Public Transport

Movement & Connectivity

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Designing for Public Transport

There are currently 60 million passenger journeys made by bus in Kent every year. The role of buses in addressing issues around mobility and social exclusion, road use and congestion, air quality, integrated transport and healthier lifestyles is well-known and widely proven. But to help residents make the most of these potential benefits, buses and their associated infrastructure must be ‘designed in’ to new developments. There are a range of factors – some fairly obvious and common-sense, others more subtle and technically-based – you’ll need to consider when preparing your application, including:

  • If your plan will require new bus services, or changes to existing ones, you should discuss this with the local bus operating company and KCC’s Public Transport Office at the outset. This allows us to adopt a flexible approach in support of your planning application. You should also consult bus operators once an Outline Consent is issued and matters reserved by Planning Condition are being considered, particularly on larger schemes.
  • Any new bus routes, or diversion of existing routes to serve urban extensions, should be as short and direct as possible to minimise journey times for users.
  • Buses need a consistent clear carriageway width of 6.75 metres, with minimum inside kerb radii of 25 metres to avoid tracking problems. Proposed roads with insufficient width, tight bends or uncontrolled on-street parking may be judged unsuitable for bus use. You should consult local bus companies to ascertain their specific vehicle dimensions and ensure your road layouts allow all bus types to pass and manoeuvre safely.
  • If your design calls for active traffic calming measures on a bus route, throttles, bus gates and speed cushions are preferable to full-width speed tables
  • You may include short sections of shared surfaces on bus routes – at a local centre or feature square, for example – but you should avoid extensive lengths elsewhere
  • Bus stop locations must be broadly identified at the earliest feasible stage, and typically within the Master Plan consented at Outline stage. Ideally, they should allow buses to stop parallel to the kerb, as close as possible. Lay-bys or pull-ins are not generally appropriate within new residential developments; you should consult KCC before proposing these.
  • All street furniture at bus stops should be set back at least 50mm from the kerb face to avoid them being hit by buses’ rear-view mirrors, and to discourage passengers from standing too close to the kerb. Check with KCC on the type of bus stop pole you should use, since different areas within Kent have their own specific requirements.
  • To comply with the Equality Act 2010, you must ensure bus stops are safe and accessible for wheelchair users, people with small children and prams, the elderly and the less able
  • As planning authorities, we follow the advice set out by the Institute of Highways and Transportation (IHT) that affordable housing, and higher-density development should be located within 400m of a bus stop, and closer wherever possible. In general, however, we’d prefer to see an efficient, logical route that serves most dwellings well than an inefficient, contrived one that serves all homes poorly with an infrequent or indirect service.
  • On-street parking can have a severe impact on bus operations, Our preferred solution is formal parallel parking bays between the footway and the carriageway.

 

Further Guidance