Seattle Transit Master Plan Briefing Book

• Published by:  Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc.

Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc. (2011). Seattle Transit Master Plan Briefing Book. Seattle: Seattle Department of Transportation.

Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan includes access management guidelines in terms of bus rapid transit.  The guidelines are based on Oakland’s draft policies and are still under development.  They suggest roadways be separated into transit-only lanes and mixed-flow lanes with medians or similar barriers.  Transit stops along the corridor should focus on optimizing connectivity and access (specifically access to other transit nodes) while being at least 500 feet apart, and they should be located on the far sides of intersections.  The guidelines also suggest a transit hierarchy:  “transit-only lanes in the center of the roadway that are physically separated from traffic; center lanes separated from traffic by pavement treatments; outside lanes adjacent to curbs; outside lanes between travel and parking lanes; mixed-flow lanes.”  The plan notes that managing left hand turns/access would be a challenge.