12.4 Bus stop location

Bus stops must be located on key desire lines and around areas of higher activity, services, community facilities, employment and residential density.

Homes should be within 400m walk of a bus stop or transport hub, as most people are prepared to walk five minutes (400m) to a bus stop.

There is flexibility in this standard as bus stop positioning must avoid overly circuitous routes and ensure a balance between ease of access while maintaining a convenient bus service (figure 12-1).

Bus operators should be consulted for bus stop location.

Pedestrian accessibility to bus stops must consider the quality of the local environment as well as distance.

Bus stops and transport hubs must be connected to walking and cycling paths that are pleasant to use.

Main bus stops should be well-lit.

Bus stops should generally be spaced between 200-400m apart to ensure they are accessible to riders while also reducing journey times.

Bus stops should not be positioned at the crest of a hill.

Bus stops must be positioned in places of pedestrian activity, such as street corners or the entrance of community, employment and retail buildings.

Bus stop locations must be agreed at outline application stage. However, sufficient flexibility for the location will be allowed at the discretion of the planning authority to avoid adverse impact on future land use as designs develop. This will ensure that the location of bus stops does not have any adverse impact on adjacent land uses.

Figure 12-1: Bus orientated street layouts. The green dashed line is best practice. (Credit - Create Streets)