One of King Street’s brand new transit islands may need a redesign after bus drivers sounded the alarm.
A new report to the London Transit Commission (LTC) reads, "Safety concerns have also been raised by (bus) operators as some of the ‘islands’ are very close to the intersection resulting in the back of the bus blocking the intersection when it is serving the stop."
Bus rider Paul Newman says the bus stop on King Street just east of Richmond Street seems too close to the intersection.
“During heavy traffic or peak hours, this is a dangerous stop. You've got buses trying to turn, you've got traffic trying to get places, things get backed up and people get frustrated, and that becomes an issue.”
City hall's new division manager for Transportation Planning and Design, Garfield Dales, says the concerns are being investigated, “We are aware of the situation, and we are working with the LTC.”
Dales adds the solution may require changing the island or how it is used.
“The size of the island, the exact location of the island, perhaps some other operational issues too that we can look at to try to address these concerns.”
The transit islands are part of city hall's $582,000 temporary bike lane project.
They will eventually be replaced by a Bus Rapid Transit lane.
Construction of BRT's downtown loop is tentatively scheduled to start in 2021.
