Impacts on neighboring communities must be considered when determining the most efficient and cost-effective way to build a station. Limited space for storing materials combined with the need to reduce impacts as much as possible on the adjacent community may increase costs, but may be necessary for the community to accept the project. The design of effective, attractive, and efficient transit stations is made more complex when the facility serves multiple modes. Designing multimodal and community sensitive facilities is a complex undertaking requiring cooperation from different organizations and individuals from different fields with different capabilities. Research will develop better functional architectural and transportation design guidance to aid in site planning and design of multimodal facilities.
Safety is an important consideration in the design of transit stations.
Research will be conducted on designs, which provide for quick and safe evacuation of passengers from a station in an emergency. There is considerable concern that existing transit stations are vulnerable to terrorist attacks using biological or toxic agents. New transit station design research will also address this issue. FTA research will utilize the results from Total Terminal Security research partnership promoted by National Science and Technology Council. To order a hard copy, audio cassette or video tape, click on the link after the document title.