Swansea Labour green initiative to improve air quality of bus shelters

Environment

Jan 13

Swansea Labour continues to show its impressive green credentials by planning for environmentally friendly bus stops. The Labour-led Swansea Council is getting ready for its first installation of ‘green’ bus shelters along main public transport routes in the city.

More than 100 ageing bus shelters across the city, with many having been installed 30 years ago, are being prepared for an environmental upgrade.

Part of the city-wide upgrade will include 10 new ‘green roof’ bus shelters, featuring natural plants on top, which can help filter out dust particles and contribute to better air quality.

The ‘green’ bus shelters will be installed along the roadside at Mumbles Road, Oystermouth Road, Quay Parade, Walter Road and St Helen’s Road.

Labour Cllr Mark Thomas, Cabinet Member for Environment Enhancement & Infrastructure Management, said: “Our current stock of bus shelters have been in place for many decades and are in need of upgrading.

“We’re arranging for more than 100 new shelters to be installed during the next few months.

“We’ve also decided to introduce a number of environmentally friendly bus shelters along some of our busy bus routes in the city.

“While they may appear as a bit of a novelty to some – they will certainly help in our wider work to improve air quality and hopefully they will also help raise awareness of the importance of green infrastructure when the public see them.

“The new green bus shelters, being provided by Bus Shelters Ltd, will also complement our Copr Bay Coastal Park development where we are introducing a green space for the public to enjoy.”

The initial phase of this upgrade programme will involve the removal of existing bus shelters. New shelters will then be installed shortly after.

Cllr Thomas added: “Bus passengers may be without their regular bus shelter for a short period during the time between removal of old equipment and the replacement of the new shelter. We’re aiming to keep this period of time to a minimum so passengers are not inconvenienced too much.”