I ran a simple baseline from the nearest marked bus stop to the main entrance of a local health centre in the Marina Alta. One pass at midday, then a short look inside. Aim: measure the boring bits that decide whether the trip is easy.
Method (kept short)
- Time and distance from stop/parking pocket to entrance (stopwatch + phone map distance).
- Crossing delay (three cycles).
- Shade continuity on the walking line (estimate as a percentage).
- Seating spacing (metres between places you can actually sit).
- Ramp gradient and kerb lips (tape + inclinometer app).
- Noise at the waiting area (30-second A-weighted snapshot).
- Wayfinding and ticketing steps inside (count steps and minutes).
Run time: 25 minutes total. Weather: 31 °C, light breeze. Weekday.
Route summary
- Door-to-door distance: 280 m from bus stop pole to entrance.
- Surface: mixed concrete/asphalt, one patched section, one zebra crossing.
Observations and cheap fixes
| Item | Observed (12:30) | Cheap fix (≤ €500) |
|---|---|---|
| Walk time | 4 min 40 s at a normal pace | None needed; pace is fine. |
| Crossing delay | 38 s, 41 s, 36 s (mean 38 s) | Daylight the zebra noses; refresh markings; add “yield” triangle pair. Paint + cones set-up: ≈ €150. |
| Shade continuity | 46% of the route shaded; longest unshaded gap 85 m | Temporary mesh shade sail between two existing poles near the pharmacy frontage; swap to trees later. Materials ≈ €220. |
| Seating spacing | 0 benches between stop and entrance; longest stretch without rest 190 m | One simple slatted bench at midpoint, backrest 90 cm from kerb, 2.2 m setback. Supply + fixings ≈ €280. |
| Ramp/kerb | One driveway ramp at 7.8% over 3.4 m; kerb lip 18 mm at zebra start | Grind lip to ≤ 6 mm; add anti-slip strip at ramp toe. Consumables + crew time ≈ €120. |
| Surface | 9 m patched asphalt with loose grit at edge | Sweep and seal edge; schedule monthly sweep in summer. Staff time. |
| Noise (waiting area outside) | 62–66 dB LAeq over 30 s; spikes to 69 dB on bus braking | Move seating back 2 m; add one opaque south/west panel on shelter. Panel + fixings ≈ €180. |
| Wayfinding outside → inside | Two signs read; door not obvious from angle | Add 1 arrow vinyl on glazing and a small “Entradas” blade sign. ≈ €90. |
| Ticketing inside | Door → ticket → seat = 3 steps; 5 min 10 s to ticket at lunch peak | Add a “have docs ready” card at door; copy pad of numbers with brief explanation to reduce questions. Printing cost. |
One change to try this week (keeps it honest)
Install a single slatted bench at the 140 m mark, set back 2.2 m from the carriageway, plus a small opaque panel on the stop’s south side.
- Cost: ≈ €460 combined (bench hardware and panel).
- Why these two: they cut the longest unshaded/no-rest segment and knock down the radiant/traffic hit where people actually wait.
What I’ll check next week
- Same route at 08:30 and 18:30.
- Repeat crossing delay (3 timings), shade % estimate, noise snapshot, and note if the new bench is used for more than 60 seconds at a time.
- Add a short line here: helped / didn’t help / helped but introduced a new nuisance.
Small notes
- The zebra works but reads “faded.” Drivers yielded late twice until a foot was on the paint. Fresh markings will help more than another poster.
- The bus shelter is fine on paper and hot in practice. Moving the seat back 2 m cuts both noise and the feeling of being too close to traffic. It’s dull; it works.
- Zero benches to the entrance is the main comfort miss. One seat halves the worst gap and costs less than a meeting.
Why this matters (and how it fits the hobby)
This hits two of the themes I care about: wellbeing and mobility. It’s small enough to do after work and clear enough to compare with bigger neighbours later. Same method, different scale.
If you run the same test where you live, keep it to one page:
- Distance and time, three crossing timings, shade %, bench gaps, one ramp figure, one noise snapshot, one wayfinding note, one cheap fix.
- Date it. Check again. Update this kind of post when something actually changes.
That’s the baseline. I’ll re-run next week, note the before/after, and move on to market-day access.