This Bus Platform Has Room for Bikes, Pedestrians and More

Last week, we tested a full-scale model of a new type of bus platform; one that accommodates bikes, pedestrians and 60-foot articulated buses.

We expect to have these extra-long buses running along Division Street, between Gresham and Downtown Portland, as soon as 2022. For this test, we borrowed a Vine bus from our friends at C-TRAN.

The purpose of the platform is to allow buses to stop without having to pull over (and cross a bike lane) to the curb. So it’s designed to accommodate pedestrians, cyclists and scooter-ers who are passing through — as well as bus riders who are waiting, boarding or disembarking. (People on bikes and scooters are required to stop when the bus pulls up to let riders on and off.)

The test involved people using the platform in different scenarios while technical experts, transportation advocates and accessibility advisors observed. The adjustable platform allowed us to test two- and four-foot “step-outs,” the space between the bus and bike lane. We also tested wayfinding signs that instructed bike and scooter riders to stop and wait for people to get on and off the bus.

The next step is to integrate the feedback from the test into the design for the 30 platform stations we want to install in East Portland.

Want to keep up with the Division Transit Project? Visit trimet.org/division