[M II A II R II K]

Cool bus stops from around the world


July 16, 2012

By SCOTT GUTIERREZ



Read More: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/trans...#photo-3165912

Ideally, bus stops aren't places where you want to spend too much time. If you're waiting long, that means the bus is late or you missed the first bus and your day is off to a bad start.

But a functional, well-designed bus shelter can improve the transit experience -- even with just the basics. When a bus shelter is clean, well-lit, within walking distance and a sturdy shield against the elements, it can make the difference as to whether someone feels comfortable or safe riding transit. A little creativity also can make it more fun.

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This giant strawberry is where riders wait for the bus in Konagai, Japan. It's one of 16 fruity bus shelters in the region. They were originally constructed for the 1990 Travel Expo but have become a local tourist attraction, according to the Inhabitat blog.






They also come in watermelon flavor.






King County Metro has a bus shelter arts program to involve youth and community members in sprucing up bus shelters. Here, it's the steel menagerie atop this Metro shelter at North 46th Street and Phinney Avenue North. Called "Tracking Shelter," there are several plaques in the shelter with animal tracks and text from the animal’s point of view. It was designed by Seattle artist Pam Beyette. Photo: Scott Gutierrez /seattlepi.com








When you live in a hot, arid place like Dubai, it helps to have air-conditioned bus shelters. Unfortunately, the AC malfunctioned in about 10 percent of the shelters because the doors were left open, according to this recent article.
Photo: Elvis Payne / Flickr / Http://www.flickr.com/photos/elvispayne/618281485/






Now to the colder winters of Minneapolis, where ad agency Colle + McVoy transformed several transit shelters in into ovens -- with real heaters and working clocks -- to market Caribou Coffee's new breakfast sandwiches. Photo: Source: Colle + McVoy / Http://www.collemcvoy.com/?q=bus+shelter






In another example of creative advertising, Ikea is known for turning bus shelters into mini rooms with furniture and upholstery.






This tube-like station is located in Curitiba, Brazil, which is renowned for its bus rapid transit system. Notice the turn-style at the entrance -- riders pay before entering to facilitate quick on- and off-boarding, like they would at a train station. (Photo: Morio / Wikipedia Commons / http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...iba_brasil.jpg)






King County Metro debuted Rapid Ride a few years ago with flashy new buses with low floors and three doors for faster boarding. The stations are fancier looking, too, and equipped with lighting, bike racks, ORCA card readers for riders to pay before they board the bus and electronic signs to display real-time arrival information. Metro has launched three Rapid Ride lines, with the D Line between Ballard and downtown next this fall.






This mural at 160th Street and Aurora Avenue North was created by members of the Shoreline Chamber of Commerce with Shoreline artists Patt and Erin Comstock in December 1995.






One of the stops where visitors at Yosemite National Park catch the shuttle. Does it remind you of the Flintstones? (Photo: Greg Balzer http://www.flickr.com/photos/rezlab/...n/photostream/)






This artwork on painted cedar captures the multiculturalism of the Rainier Valley at this King County Metro bus shelter at the corner of Rainier Avenue South and South Rose Street. It was designed by Ron Hilbert-Coy, member of the Tulalip Indian tribe, and paid for through Metro's arts program in 1995.






This bus shelter in Athens, Ga., is made from three old school buses. The seat comes from one of Atlanta's decommissioned city buses. This unique stop was created by sculptor Christopher Fennel. Photo: (Courtesy Of Christopher Fennel)






In Paris, they're testing 'le station de bus du futur' at the Gare de Lyon train station on Diderot Boulevard. The RATP (the Parisian version of Metro) says the station has kiosks, seating, an interactive touch screen to show route information, a self-serve electric bike station, and space for vendors.






This is the EyeStop, a prototype developed a few years ago by MIT Senseable City Lab for the city of Florence, Italy. An interactive touch screen shows maps so riders can plan their trip and find the shortest route. Eyestop is solar-powered, and shows in real-time how far away the bus is. The station starts to glow when the bus is about to arrive.






"Bus Home," the above sculpture, serves a main transit hub in Ventura, Calif. It's creator, renowned sculptor Dennis Oppenheim, described his work as depicting the "metamorphosis of a bus becoming a house" through a looping corksrew. With grant money for public arts, the city aimed for a design that would enliven the transit experience. "This is Southern California, where everyone is in their cars," said Denise Sindelar, the city's community partnerships manager."We're trying to get people into public transit." The station also is functional, with three restrooms, bike racks and lockers, an information kiosk, lighting, and drinking fountains. It also provides ample shade.