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Why do many bus shelters in Seattle face away from the street when bus shelters in most other cities face the street?

I sometimes fret about the bus driver not seeing me with the placement of bus shelters in Seattle. In other cities the open side faces the street. This happens mostly here, but often not.

leepyne asked in Public Transportation 11 months ago | Report

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  • Dscn0421_small
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    Sphinx

    This is just a guess, but it could be because in the winter our streets often have inches of standing water. I've been drenched by drivers going way too fast in the pouring rain more than once (even when walking on the far inside edge of the sidewalk). Maybe the opposite-facing bus shelters are meant to provide protection from splashing water from the roadway? I do see lots of shelters that face the street in Seattle as well, though, so it may be that your sample is skewed (by the part of town you spend the most bus-time in). Usually the front-facing shelters are set back from the road (with the full sidewalk in between) and the back-facing shelters are set right up against the road. The decision about which way the shelter faces may also have something to do with the width of the sidewalk near the stop- if the sidewalk is narrower they probably don't want folks walking around the front of the shelter to get in (and spilling out of it, as happens when the weather is particularly foul) and getting too close to the street.

    Sphinx answered in Public Transportation 11 months ago | Report
    3 comments by Russ Campbell, NWEBS, Sphinx, and Russ Campbell, NWEBS…
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  • Qlandav2ex_small
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    I think Sphinx is right on in his answer, no guessing about it.

    The other point for consideration in the direction that the shelter faces is for wheelchair access.

    A person using a chair for mobility has easier access to the shelter from the broad part of the sidewalk.

    If the shelter is close to the street and was facing the street it makes the stopping point of the bus very critical and maneuvering room very tight for the user of the wheelchair to get to the lift.

    The reason you may see some inconsistency on which way they face may depend on when the shelter was installed.

    The direction the shelter faces is also a consideration for safety of the patrons using it if the shelter was struck by a vehicle hopping the curb. With the shelter facing way you have the bulk of it protecting you and are not going to get pinned between vehicle and structure of the shelter.

    Russ Campbell, NWEBS answered in Public Transportation 11 months ago | Report
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