Safer Stops: Increasing Public Perceptions of Safety through Bus Stop Design in the City of Greater Sudbury
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Authors
Smith, Vanessa
Date
2019-04
Type
Language
en
Keyword
Bus Stops , CPTED , Transit Safety
Alternative Title
Abstract
In recent years, various surveys of transit riders in North America have ranked safety as one of the highest priorities at bus stops. This concern over the safety of bus stops could have detrimental effects to ridership levels. In fact, without an adequate level of safety or perceived safety, riders may choose not to utilize public transportation all together. Research has shown that safety improvements to public transit can substantially increase transit ridership as well as encourage an increase in active transportation. Crime largely occurs in public spaces where windows of opportunity for a crime to take place exist, thus engaging in good bus stop design assists in removing these windows of opportunity.
This report examines best practices in designing bus stops to increase both rider comfort and public perceptions of safety. It also examines how Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles can be used to evaluate where opportunities for crime may exist.
This report uses the City of Greater Sudbury as a case study and examines three bus stop locations within the Nickel City. The methods used include a comprehensive literature review, safety audits and validation interviews, and in the end provides recommendations on ways the three bus stops could be altered to increase feelings of safety. This research intends to present realistic alterations to the stops and safety planning moving forwards.