Trimess

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

DOES TRIMET MEET MINIMUM STANDARDS OF ERGONOMICS?

Bus compartments are often uncomfortable, inflexible, and exposed to the elements which makes them too hot or too cold. No allowance is made in the design for drivers of different height or weight. The ideal cabin design should include the following:
  • The driver’s seat should be vertically and horizontally adjustable and have adjustable lower back support and adjustable springs. The controls for adjusting the seat must be easy to operate.
  • The steering wheel should be no more than 460 mm in diameter and be adjustable along the axis of the steering column. Its angle of inclination should also be adjustable.
  • The pedals should be within easy reach for small and tall drivers alike. They should have equal angles.
  • The dashboard should have easy to read displays which are arranged according to functions and frequency of use. It should be easy and safe to operate all manual controls, especially emergency controls.
  • Big and small drivers must be able to enter and leave the working space easily, and effective heating and cooling systems should be provided for the cab.

1 comment:

punkrawker4783 said...

All except the last one are mostly true here, and as the newer buses come in, it seems they have expanded on what was missing in earlier models. Like adjustable pedals, the complexity of adjustments you can make to the steering wheel are greater. Their switch to door buttons instead of handles is interesting, both have their pros and cons.

Usually have to use the defroster to keep warm, and the AC comes out of one small vent up front (on the newer buses), so it can still get cold in the winter, warm in the summer up there, I think a few more vents like what you get in your car would help (this might be a New Flyer design flaw, but Metro could ask them to modify).

Finally, Whats nice is we have a pole directly to the right of the drivers seat, with a barrier between the seat and the compartments behind the driver. No one can reach behind your seat, or try to surprise you with a flying object, they have to do it from the side or forward. I noticed TriMet does not have this, and should, its a nice security feature.