Austin Transportation and Capital Metro recently announced their partnership to test a curb extension device to improve the customer experience at one of Austin’s busiest bus stops.
Capital Metro will consolidate the existing MetroBus stop and MetroRapid station on the southeast corner of Guadalupe Street and Dean Keeton Street to bolster efficiency, reliability, and service safety. Both stops will be combined as a single stop on the northeast side of the intersection.
The action would remove the delay for northbound vehicles turning right onto Dean Keeton Street and follows industry best practices for transit speed and reliability, officials noted.
The new platform would enable Capital Metro buses to meet the sidewalk and curb without pulling out of a travel lane while also providing separation from the roadway for those walking, biking, and boarding transit at the intersection.
Green and white platform striping will guide cyclists past the stop to yield to people boarding buses at the stop. The modular curb extension’s non-slip base of recycled rubber will be anchored to the street surface, allowing for easy installation and removal.
The pilot project’s goals, per officials, include retaining convenient access to the university campus; alleviating traffic congestion by freeing up space for right turns on Dean Keeton Street; improving bus efficiency and travel times; and
facilitating safer interactions between pedestrians, cars, buses, and bikes.