Recommendations for the development bus stops - Recommandations pour l’aménagement d’arrêts de bus

The publication presents the achievements of a working group made up of experts from the public and private sectors, who have developed, under the leadership of the Transport Community Verkéiersverbond, a series of minimum standards to ensure accessibility and define the layout of bus stop infrastructure.

Quoting the Luxembourg Minister of Transport’s foreword to the publication: “Within the framework of a coherent and sustainable policy, transport networks and the various means of transport must be optimally coordinated. In the coming years, bus stops will have an increasingly important role to play as a "gateway to local public transport". In the global strategy for sustainable mobility presented in April 2012 (MoDu - sustainable mobility), the promotion and strengthening of public transport are defined as key and indispensable elements. Regional rail transport, the backbone of public transport, will need to be complemented by a well-interconnected national bus network with corridors for bus rapid transit lines as well as regional feeder lines. In order to meet growing customer demand, public transit capacity needs to be strengthened. However, this goes hand in hand not only with an optimisation of the offer, i.e. the expansion of the public transport fleet and the improvement of the infrastructure, but also with the need to improve public transport with the help of intelligent operating concepts.

Undeniable successes have been achieved abroad, where customers reach their destination more quickly, following the introduction of efficient transfer systems at national, regional and local level through interchange hubs. The customer's expectations in terms of mobility are diverse with regard to these divisions. Stops must be located close to the user and be accessible to all, clean, functional, comfortable and above all to be considered as "Business cards of cities and municipalities". To achieve this, this manual provides stakeholders with the necessary information. “

Quoting as well the president of the Transport Community “Verkéiersverbond”: “Under the auspices of the Verkëiersverbond, a multidisciplinary working group has been set up to define national standards for planning and implementing bus stops for more pleasant public transport. Our goal is to ensure autonomous and barrier-free access to the bus network also for people with reduced mobility. The experience of public and private authorities has shown that well-structured technical information on bus stop requirements is desirable, as it facilitates studies and their implementation.

The publicagion about accessible bus stops is intended for the various actors and decision-makers at the local level of municipalities. Design and architectural firms, as well as municipal technical services, will be able to take advantage of this compact and well-structured reference structure. The standards described will provide constructive, not regulatory, assistance…”

In the brochure it is said that, with reference to the large number of existing bus stops, it will not be possible to implement barrier-free design of all bus stops everywhere in the near future. But, in the case of new projects, significant improvement will be easily achievable.

It is up to the municipalities to decide which bus stops should be equipped with the minimum standards as a priority. The number of passengers boarding/disembarking, the number of connections as well as the location of stops located near institutions dedicated to people with reduced mobility are all criteria for making these prioritization decisions.