Road contractor is asking our School Transportation Department what angle is needed at the entrance to our schools so that buses do not "bottom out" as they enter and exit the school parking lot. Does every brand of bus have it's own unique approach angle? How should we answer this question?
I don't know the answer to the question but an engineer should know or be able to figure it out pretty easily. That IS what they get paid for. The contractor should have one on retainer for this job, if he doesn't I would be worried!
There's some variety between the brands, but the angles are similar if the buses have similar specs (most conventionals are similar, most FEs are similar, etc). You should be able to get those specs from any bus dealer, they can tell you the angles of approach and departure for the models they sell. Remember to plan for future purchases and design the lot to accommodate each different design you can get specs for, with room to spare (ie, if you're running conventionals now, get the approach angles for flat-nose buses too in case you end up buying them in the future).
Bus Bottoms out
Posted - 08/08/2011 : 11:24:46 AM
