Staff Report #2
October 14, 2025
To All Members of the Accessible Public Transit Service Advisory Committee
Re: Rapid Transit Station Design
Recommendation
The report be RECEIVED.
Background
In 2021, the City of London, began construction for three rapid transit projects aiming to provide mobility choices for all Londoners that are safe, efficient, affordable, and environmentally responsible.
The approved Rapid Transit corridors include;
- The Downtown Loop- Wellington, Queens, Ridout and King
- East London Link- Downtown to Fanshawe College via King, Ontario, Dundas, Highbury and Oxford
- Wellington Gateway- Downtown to White Oaks Mall via Wellington
As part of the rapid transit construction, each of the stations along the Rapid Transit corridors have new, larger capacity shelters installed for passenger waiting areas. London’s rapid transit shelters were designed to be modular with a consistent look and feel across the corridors, while also accommodating the need for minor customization at each location to best design the shelters within the context of the neighbourhood.
Input received from the community during the Environmental Assessment (EA) helped shape the shelter’s overall design and amenities, while also integrating industry best practices.
A number of accessibility and safety features have been or will be installed in the shelters including, tactile plates along the entire edge of the station, enhanced lighting both inside the shelters as well as in the open sections on the platform, variable message signs to provide both visual and audible real-time bus arrival information and both leaning and regular benches for waiting. The shelters were also designed to ensure adequate turn around space for mobility aides.
Since the implementation of the first 11 stations, feedback identifies that it is difficult to know where the boarding area at the station is to catch the bus, especially for passengers with visual impairments.
The current design of the station does not have a standard bus stop pole where the buses line up to service the station, instead Operators are instructed to line up with the pillar at the furthest point of the shelter.
London Transit in coordination with the City of London is assessing improved wayfinding solutions to better accommodate passengers of all abilities to easily know where to stand to catch the bus. Solutions may include a cane detectable pole at the boarding location, additional signage to help direct passengers after alighting the bus, tactile plates to indicate the waiting area etc.
Any suggestions gathered from the Accessible Public Transit Service Advisory Committee will be forwarded to the City of London for consideration when implementing the wayfinding tools.
In the interim, while more permanent solutions are assessed, administration is recommending that temporary bus stop poles on the rubber bases be installed at all Rapid Transit stations to indicate the location of the boarding area. The temporary poles are cane detectable to assist passengers in locating the correct location to wait for the bus.
With respect to the temporary bus stop poles, concerns have been raised with the height resulting in them being obstructed from view. Unfortunately, adjusting the height of the pole is not an option as it would create a tipping hazard. The temporary signage placed at the Rapid Transit stations will be located such that they are accessible. As with other multi-route stops, Operators will be instructed to ensure that they pull up to the bus stop plate location, open the doors and ensure that the stop is cleared before departing. Buses are expected to wait until the vehicle in front of them has cleared the stop to ensure that they can pull fully forward to the designated boarding area.
A communications campaign will be developed both internally and externally to provide information to Operators and passengers on accessing the boarding area at Rapid Transit stations.
Recommended by:
Katie Burns, Director of Planning
Concurred in by:
Kelly S. Paleczny, General Manager