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Gimme shelter?
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How is the comfort of transit riders in Northeast Ohio faring in the Transit Waiting Environments (TWE) program? Greater Cleveland RTA established the TWE program to improve the experience of waiting for the bus or train, and to attract new riders with better amenities. Riders were surveyed a few years back, and they wanted amenities like better information posted as well as comforts like lights and maybe someday a luxury like a push-button overhead heater in the shelters.
So far, TWE has been a public art-driven process that has resulted in pretty if not truly functional bus stops. A recent call for entries to redesign a bus stop in Lakewood received only five entries. Worse yet, none appear to consider waiting at a stop in the extreme weather conditions in Northeast Ohio. This Transit Waiting Environments project is funded by a $25,000 federal grant to Lakewood via RTA—and awards the winning artist $5,000.
One issue that the program seems to be bumping up against is the myth that only high design will attract a new rider. That belief leads to “showy” designs that tend to supplant common sense.
Looking at the Lakewood call, the artist is asked to consider “TWE’s function as a transit stop.” But, does it go far enough to emphasize that this is still a shelter? Encouraging artists to ride transit could help.
It’s possible to chalk up the stingy shelter space afforded by the Lakewood entrants as outliers, if it weren’t for other recent examples of transit waiting environment awardees not exactly following the tenet: form follows function. The high-design number in the Gordon Square Arts District (near Detroit and W. 65th seen at the top of this post) looks cool, unless you happen to arrive on a 94-degree day when the un-shaded metal bench is surface-of-the-sun hot, or if you happen to be waiting under its perforated canopy for a bus in the rain.
“I would be happy to see a ‘Cleveland solution’ even if it means taking the basic RTA brown aluminum frame shelter and adding the amenities that riders want—a real time digital schedule, sensor activated lights, a push-button heating unit,” said RTA Citizen Advisory Board chair Brad Chase. “Instead they’re now talking about re-installing a basic bus shelter next to the new one on W. 65th which will then be treated as a piece of public art”.
On the bright side, TWE did carve out $25,000 to pay for solar panels on four bus shelters, including the soon-to-be-replaced shelter at Coventry and Mayfield roads. TWE is also investing $25,000 in four covered bike shelters at transit stops, including this one at the W. 117th Red Line station.
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Public Art Bus Stop
John McGovern Says:First off, thanks for highlighting this important issue.
The way in which we, the citizens of this city, view public transport, will indeed determine the future viability of this thing we call Cleveland. Mass transport and urban density are intrinsically linked through economic development.
In Greater Cleveland, many of us view public transport as something that 'other' people utilize, but not something that WE utilize. Further, it is often viewed as an option for transport for those other people, but rarely as a necessity.
The above perspective begins to explain the views expressed by 'Gazer'. IF we as a community view transit as a transport mode necessary for a urban area to function then do we say things like "it offers SOME protection from the rain" or they're better than nothing"? If any one of us depended on public transport, I highly doubt we'd be saying such things.
Further, 'Gazer' is incorrect about the statement, "..there is no doubt that they signify a bus stop, which is far more than can be said by the empty space which existed prior to these structures."
While it is true that during the majority of the street-scape construction period, there was nothing there; it must be noted that before the construction began, there were standard RTA-brown shelters on the sidewalk. These standard RTA-brown shelters were in the same location well before the sidewalk was widened as part of the street-scape project.
While the standard RTA-brown shelter is not pretty, it is function first in that it's wooden seat is cool in summer / warm in winter and the glass surround protects from wind chill and wind driven precipitation and splashing from vehicles passing by; all while facilitating a view towards the oncoming bus. Further, the roof has NO HOLES, and offers full protection from the weather.
If Cleveland is to be re-invigorated in a way that capitalizes on past infrastructure investments; alternatives to the private automobile must be facilitated using best practices that put function first.
See you on the bus...
It's a bus stop
gazer Says:Until you get to know me John, please keep your assumptions about my perspectives to yourself.
In fact, I don't think it's only "they" who use public transportation. It's sometimes "me" although I prefer my bicycle for its speed and convenience compared to the current state of public transportation. I truly wish the state of the public transportation system were much better so that more people would turn to it instead of turning to their private automobiles - for all sorts of reasons.
I definitely don't think Robert's bus shelters are the end-all-be-all of bus shelter design, but I think a lot of the arguments against them are overblown. I also think that removing those shelters only to replace them with standard brown shelters would be a serious mistake.
Nice art
gazer Says:I like the bus "shelters" at W 65th and Detroit.
They may not be the most practical, but to quote another resident, "They're better than nothing!"
In fact, there is no doubt that they signify a bus stop, which is far more than can be said by the empty space which existed prior to these structures.
In both locations, using a standard bus shelter would have left almost no other sidewalk space.
The roof over the seat is not perforated, so it does offer some protection from the rain. Even in the recent heat, people are using the seat in the shelter, so it can't be that bad. If it's too wicked hot, there's a nice shaded bench right next to it.