The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Capital Metro) has partnered with Austin Transportation to test a curb extension in hopes of improving the customer experience at one of Austin’s busiest bus stops.
Capital Metro will consolidate the existing MetroBus stop and MetroRapid station on the southeast corner of Guadalupe Street and Dean Keeton Street to improve efficiency, reliability and safety of service. Both stops will be combined as a single stop on the northeast side of the intersection, removing the delay for northbound vehicles turning right onto Dean Keeton Street and following industry best practices for transit speed and reliability.
Austin Transportation will place a curb extension, made by ZICLA and spanning 120 feet, on Guadalupe Street in the bike lane north of Dean Keeton Street. The new platform will enable Capital Metro buses to meet the sidewalk and curb without pulling out of a travel lane, as well as provide separation from the roadway for people walking, biking and boarding transit at the intersection. Green and white checkering on the platform will guide people biking past the stop to yield to Capital Metro customers boarding buses at the stop. The modular curb extension’s non-slip base of recycled rubber will be anchored to the street surface, allowing for easy installation and removal.
ZICLA platforms have been used to quickly and affordably improve conditions for travel customers from Los Angeles to New York City, as well as locations abroad. Capital Metro and Austin Transportation will assess how the pilot functions for all roadway users over the next six months, considering a more permanent solution.
The pilot hopes to achieve the following goals:
- Facilitate safer interactions for pedestrians, cars, buses and bikes;
- Retain convenient access to the university campus;
- Alleviate traffic congestion by facilitating right turns on Dean Keeton Street; and
- Improve bus efficiency and travel times.
This project is funded through the 2018 Transit Speed & Reliability interlocal agreement between Capital Metro and the city of Austin, Texas, and is the result of ongoing collaboration between the agency’s Transit Speed & Reliability and Transit Enhancement programs.
Capital Metro and Austin Transportation plan to consolidate the bus stops and install the new technology in January 2021. Construction should take about a week to complete, and the pilot is expected to last for six months.
