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Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013 | 2 a.m.
Another view?
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As a retired architect from Chicago, I have a suggestion about bus stop safety and deterring deadly accidents.
When I used to inspect the many industrial and distribution projects during their construction phases in the suburbs of Chicago, the developer typically installed 6- to 8-foot round, heavy steel pipes that were filled with concrete, called bollards. Bollards were placed at the loading docks to prevent semi trailers from damaging the docks. This technique can be used around the bus stations. Placing bollards 3 to 4 feet apart could prevent damage to the structure and prevent injuries or fatalities for those waiting at the stop. If the station is set back 5 feet from the curb as proposed, one bollard can be set at the curb line while the surrounding bollards can be spaced back about 4 feet so that pedestrians would not be hindered.
The rest of these bollards could be strategically spaced around the station to prevent any vehicle from penetrating the barricade.
Please give this life-saving idea some thought.
Letter writer is spot on. Go to any large cities nationwide and observe the bus stops and staging areas for the riders. They are set back away from the main traffic by enough distance to be safe and secure from out of control drivers and vehicles. Then look at those in Las Vegas. And ask yourself what is lacking here. Grammar schoolers can provide the correct answer.
CarmineD
An excellent suggestion. Bollards are often used, for example, to protect propane storage tanks or fireplugs from vehicular traffic. Why not to protect bus shelters?
Pictures of bus stops around the world.
https://www.google.com/search?q=bus+stop...
L's Vegas city planning with safety in your mind.
A reasonable proposal for the very few stops that would have room for them.
A bigger problem is the placement of many of them on the far side of an intersection. This was presumably done so that a stopped bus would not be blocking traffic making a right turn. The downside is that it now exposes the stop to traffic making left turns.
And possibly the biggest problem is that so many of the stops are put on very narrow sidewalks butted up against walls. There is barely room for a person to walk by them as it is without stepping off the curb. There is simply no where for a person to escape to if something is coming towards them.