PROJECT SUMMARY: The Kalamazoo Area Bus Stop Action Plan built upon Metro’s 2014 bus stop inventory, which determined that only 7% of stops were compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible design standards. It seeks to improve rider experience, operational safety, and on-time performance. Over a five-month period in 2018, Nelson\Nygaard and DLZ studied Metro’s full network of bus stops, analyzing bus stop usage, spacing, placement, amenities, and pedestrian access throughout the Kalamazoo metro region.

Based on this study, the Bus Stop Action Plan recommends system level changes to improve rider experience, operational efficiency, and passenger safety. These recommendations include removal, relocation, or installation of over 300 stops, reducing the total number of stops in the system by 16%. The plan also directs installation of improved signage, ADA compliant concrete pads at all stops, additional shelters at high ridership stops, and a transit hub.

The Transit Authority Board of Directors approved the plan in October 2018 and will implement recommendations over the next five years. The final report includes recommendations that will help make transit throughout Kalamazoo County faster, more reliable, and more efficient. 

TEAM: Nelson\Nygaard and DLZ

ROLE: As a member of Nelson\Nygaard’s project staff, I analyzed transit route and stop data to assess existing resource allocations, used AutoCAD to depict recommended bus stop space design within streets’ curbspaces, produced maps, wrote and edited plan documents, and designed document layouts.

TOOLS USED: Adobe Create Suite (Illustrator and Indesign); AutoCAD; ArcGIS; Google MyMaps and Streetview; Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint