GB2323114A

GB2323114A - Kerb defining vehicle stop position

Info

Publication number: GB2323114A
Application number: GB9802987A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Timothy John Blower
Original assignee: Aggregate Industries UK Ltd
Current assignee: Aggregate Industries UK Ltd
Priority date: 1997-02-13
Filing date: 1998-02-13
Publication date: 1998-09-16
Anticipated expiration: 2018-02-13
Also published as: GB2323114B; GB9702952D0; GB9802987D0

Abstract

A kerb (10) defining a roadside passenger vehicle stopping position is bedded into the roadway so as to provide a horizontal face (24) extending into a planar face (26) which is upwardly and rearwardly angled. The latter extends into a vertical face (30) which extends into a top face (16). The horizontal face (24) is formed with a central upstanding ridge (34). When a vehicle tyre rides onto the face (24), the driver has a warning by virtue of the ridge (34) that the vehicle is on the intended stop surface. The profile of the planar face (26) accommodates the profile of the tyres and thus does not cause damage to the tyres when the vehicle is on the stop surface. In that position, the doors of the vehicle are adjacent the face (16) making it easy and safe for passengers to move onto and away from the vehicle.

Description

Apparatus Defining Vehicle Stoup Positions This invention relates to apparatus for defining stopping positions for vehicles, particularly roadside kerbs defining stopping positions for buses.

Roadside kerbs for defining bus stopping positions have previously been proposed which include concavely curved kerb walls, the intention being for bus drivers to drive close to the kerbs, to sense when the vehicle tyres ride up the concave kerb wails, and then to drive so as to move the tyres back down the concave walls to a stopping position, wherein the bus doors are closely adjacent to the kerb top surfaces. The walls of the kerbs are so profiled as to enable the vehicle tyres to drive thereon without damaging the tyre side walls. However, even with training, it is difficult for bus drivers to accept that they will be able to sense a change in angle when the tyres move on to the concave walls of such kerbs. Without confidence, bus drivers will be concerned that they might drive too far on to the kerbs and thereby damage the vehicle tyres. There is therefore little encouragement for the drivers to take the chance of tyre damage simply to manoeuvre the buses closer to the pedestrian surfaces.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which will give drivers the confidence to drive vehicles on to the intended stopping surfaces without damage to the vehicle tyres.

According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for defining a stopping position for a vehicle, the apparatus presenting, in use, a first surface above the level of the road surface for use by pedestrians, a second surface adjacent to the road surface, the second surface being so adapted that, when a vehicle tyre is driven thereon, a driver of the vehicle is made aware of the vehicle position, and a third surface connecting the first and second surfaces, the third surface being profiled whereby, when a vehicle tyre is driven onto the second surface, to accommodate the adjacent wall of the tyre without damaging the latter.

Preferably the second surface has an edge adapted to merge, in use, with the road surface. Alternatively, the second surface has an edge adapted to terminate, in use, above the road surface. The second surface may have a profile defined by at least one upstanding ridge, preferably by one central ridge.

Alternatively the apparatus may have a plurality of ridges which are equispaced. The or each ridge may be at a constant height above the second surface, or the height of the or each ridge above the surface may vary across the latter.

Preferably also, the third surface provides a planar face which is angled rearwardly and upwardly of the kerb in use, and extends between the second surface and a substantially vertical face which joins with the first surface.

Alternatively, the third surface may provide a concave curved face extending between the second surface and a planar face which is angled in a direction away from the second surface to join with the first surface.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of a bus stop kerb; Fig. 2 is a schematic front view of the kerb of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a schematic side view of the kerb of Figs. 1 and 2, shown accommodating a tyre of a bus.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a kerb 10 defining a roadside stopping position for a passenger carrying vehicle such as a bus. The kerb 10 is preferably formed of a moulded cementitious material, for example concrete, and is designed to form the junction between a pedestrian surface such as a pavement 12 and a road surface 14 (Fig. 3). The kerb 10 has the form of a substantially trapezoidal block which is profiled along one top corner, where the transition takes place between a top horizontal face 16 and a front face 18, the latter being inwardly angled relative to the vertical, for example by 5". The kerb 10 is further defined by a rear face 20 which is inwardly angled relative to the vertical, for example by 50, and a lower horizontal face 22. In use, the kerb 10 is bedded into the roadway in any conventional manner with the front face 18 below the level of the road, whereby the top face 16 aligns with the pedestrian surface 12 and the profiled corner defines a transition between the road surface 14 and the top face 16.

The profiled corner provides a substantially horizontal face 24 extending inwardly, for example by approximately 50 mm, from the top edge of the front face 18 into a planar face 26 by way of a radius 28, the planar face 26 being angled, for example by 35O, to the vertical and extending rearwardly and upwardly of the kerb 10. The planar face 26, at its upper edge, extends into a substantially vertical face 30 which, at its upper edge, extends into the top face 16 by way of a convex curve 32.

The horizontal face 24 is profiled by being formed with an upstanding ridge 34 extending inwardly at a central location from the front face 18 to merge into the planar face 26, an outer upper edge of the ridge 34 being defined by a convex curve.

The kerb 10 is shown in use in Fig. 3 with a bus tyre 40. When the driver of a bus approaches a bus stop defined at the roadside by a plurality of the kerbs 10 laid end to end, the intention is for the driver to drive the nearside front wheel so that the tyres 40 ride onto the horizontal face 24 having the ridge 34. As the tyres 40 engage the ridges 32, which act as a rumble strip, the driver has no problem in sensing the engagemenl, and Ihus has a warning iliad the tyres 40 are now on the intended stop surface. The profile of the face 26 of the kerb 10 is such that the profile of the tyres 40 can be accommodated without rubbing of the side walls of the tyres against any surface which would cause damage to the tyres. With the nearside wheels of the bus on the stop surface of the kerb 10, the doors of the bus are conveniently adjacent the upper surface of the kerb 10, thus making it easy and safe for passengers to move on to and away from the bus. The ridges 32 are designed to avoid any discomfort to bus passengers.

When the bus using the bus stop is of the type which has a normal running height, but which lowers in height when the bus is stopped, a door step 42, in its kneeling position when the bus is stopped, would be at a height of 230 mm above the road surface. The step 42 is shown in Fig. 3 in the kneeling position and is also shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 in the running position. The dimension of the kerb 10 between the top face 16 and the horizontal face 24 can be preferably 220 mm whereby, when the bus is on the intended stop surface of the kerb 10 and is stopped, the step 42 is at a convenient height for passengers.

There is thus provided a kerb which can define a roadside stopping position for a passenger carrying vehicle such as a bus, and which can be used by vehicle drivers with more confidence than those designs presently available.

Driving onto the intended stop surface of the kerb is immediately sensed by the driver because of the profile of the stop surface, so that the driver has plenty of warning of where to stop, and where the profile of the kerb accommodates the shape of the vehicle tyres and ensures no damage to the tyre side walls.

It is to be appreciated that the invention may be used to define stopping positions for other vehicles, for example stopping positions for cars in car parks or in petrol stations. The invention is not therefore limited to roadside kerbs or to use in defining stopping positions for buses or other passenger carrying vehicles.

Various modifications may be made without departing from the invention. For example, the stopping surface may be profiled by other than ridges. The profile of the ridges may vary, and the height of the ridges and/or the spacing between adjacent ridges may vary from front to back in order to give the driver an indication as to how far the vehicle has moved onto the kerb.

In a further modification, the planar angled face may be replaced by a concavely curved face which merges at its lower end into the front face by way of a convex curve. At its upper end, the curved face merges into a planar face which is angled rearwardly of the kerb and merges at its upper end into the top face by way of a convex curve. Over a location extending inwardly from the front face, the concave face can be profiled by being formed with the plurality of the upstanding ridges. The concave face may merge at its lower end into the front face by way of a convex curve which defines a bullnose at the edge of the road surface.

It is also envisaged that the kerb of Figs. 1 to 3 may be formed with a bullnose at the edge of the road surface to provide an initial warning for the driver that he is approaching the stop surface defined by the ridges.

Claims

1. Apparatus for defining a stopping position for a vehicle, the apparatus presenting, in use, a first surface above the level of the road surface for use by pedestrians, a second surface adjacent to the road surface, the second surface being so adapted that, when a vehicle tyre is driven thereon, a driver of the vehicle is made aware of the vehicle position, and a third surface connecting the first and second surfaces, the third surface being profiled whereby, when a vehicle tyre is driven onto the second surface, to accommodate the adjacent wall of the tyre without damaging the latter.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the second surface has an edge adapted to merge, in use, with the road surface.

3. Apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the second surface has an edge adapted to terminate, in use, above the road surface.

4. Apparatus according to any of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the second surface has a profile defined by at least one upstanding ridge.

5. Apparatus according to Claim 4, wherein the second surface has a profile defined by an upstanding ridge at a central location.

6. Apparatus according to Claim 4, wherein a plurality of the ridges are provided and are equispaced.

7. Apparatus according to any of Claims 4 to 6, wherein the or each ridge is at a constant height above the second surface.

8. Apparatus according to any of Claims 4 to 6, wherein the height of the or each ridge above the surface varies across the latter.

9. Apparatus according to any of the preceding Claims, wherein the third surface provides a planar face which is angled rearwardly and upwardly of the kerb in use, and extends between the second surface and a substantially vertical face which joins with the first surface.

10. Apparatus according to Claim 9, wherein the planar face extends at an angle of 35 to the vertical.

11. Apparatus according to any of the preceding Claims, wherein the third surface provides a concave curved face extending between the second surface and a planar face which is angled in a direction away from the second surface to join with the first surface.

12. Apparatus for defining a stopping position for a vehicle, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

13. A bus stop kerb defined by an apparatus according to any of the preceding Claims.

14. Any novel subject matter or combination including novel subject matter disclosed, whether or not within the scope of or relating to the same invention as any of the preceding Claims.