Buy local? Edmond company designs bus shelters

[betts]

You mean bus stops need shelter? What a concept!

EDMOND — Pelco Products Inc. has designed a bus shelter strong enough to withstand Oklahoma weather yet attractive enough for upscale neighborhoods, the company said.

Read more: Edmond manufacturer designs bus shelter for Oklahoma climate | NewsOK.com

[TechArch]

It might work better if they positioned the back of the shelter to face the directions of the prevailing winds, but I agree with you Sid it does not look like a shelter.

[CaptDave]

It is a start - but needs improvement in weather protection. If Metro Transit is serious about moving forward with systems that provide real time updates on bus arrival, this shelter doesn't provide adequate mounting locations and protection for the equipment. But at least someone is actually thinking about something better than a concrete bench thrown up beside the road.

I was surprised - no, shocked - to learn the city doesn't own the bus stops in OKC. That explains why they are so god awful and cheap - the private company that own them is looking to maximize profit rather than provide a better place for transit riders to wait. I would like the city to retain ownership of the stops and set a better standard and still sell advertising. In fact, if designed properly, advertising revenue could significantly increase.

[CaptDave]

oops - double post...

[Jim Kyle]

But at least someone is actually thinking about something better than a concrete bench thrown up beside the road.

In the late 40s, while I was still in high school but already having ambitions to become a professional photographer, a small group of entrepreneurs contacted me to help them create a presentation for the city council. At that time the bus stops had no benches at all; these people wanted to install benches, with advertising on them, at each bus stop, but since they would be on the right-of-way easements of city streets, needed city permission to do so. To create the presentation, we took a prototype bench around to a number of stops all over the city and when someone came along to wait for a bus, invited the person to wait on the bench instead of standing. Craftily, we did so on a blustery day. The promoter would interview the person, using a wire recorder that I had borrowed, and I would take photos of the interview, taking care to choose angles and timing to maximize the impression of convenience. Several shots showed elderly bus patrons struggling to stand up against the wind, then resting comfortably on the bench.

When it was all done, they took it to the council. The presentation got a good write-up in the paper -- but the council refused permission. It was literally years before the benches finally showed up, and by then bus ridership had plummeted!

When the alternative is standing in the open with only a slender pipe to lean against, even a simple concrete bench is a great improvement.

[CaptDave]

I agree with your basic point Jim. But I still think we should do better - we need to make the places riders wait for the bus more appealing and less like an afterthought. Some basic shelter from the elements ought to be the minimum standard.

[TechArch]

San Francisco's bus shelters are a great example of function and form. The top has an integral solar panel. Plus, during the San Francisco Giants World Series championship parade people stood on these shelters and they didn't break.

[HangryHippo]

San Francisco's bus shelters are a great example of function and form. The top has an integral solar panel. Plus, during the San Francisco Giants World Series championship parade people stood on these shelters and they didn't break.

This is what really irks me to no end about OKC and mass transit. That station you shared from San Francisco is SO SIMPLE and will protect you from the elements, yet here we are trying to reinvent the wheel with something that looks like it will be absolutely worthless as a "shelter".

[betts]

Today I saw an elderly woman sitting on the wet sidewalk waiting for a bus. While these shelters don't completely shelter you from the elements, it's better than what we have right now in many of our bus stops. While these would not be my ultimate choice for a bus shelter, they're better than what we have right now. It's hard to imagine anything that isn't better than what we have right now.

[Dubya61]

Today I saw an elderly woman sitting on the wet sidewalk waiting for a bus. While these shelters don't completely shelter you from the elements, it's better than what we have right now in many of our bus stops. While these would not be my ultimate choice for a bus shelter, they're better than what we have right now. It's hard to imagine anything that isn't better than what we have right now.

You're right -- and I hate to go all Spartan/JTF on you, but I think this is something that we shouldn't settle for less than something that truly provides shelter. TechArch's SFO example in post #8 DOES provide real shelter (and quadruples the advertising spaces). Sure, it's more expensive, but do a few at a time until they pay for themselves. With the solar panel, maybe they could include something like the GSTV screens at the gas pumps at Walmart / Murphy USA.

[CaptDave]

I agree Sid. Tyler Advertising obviously doesn't give a rip about the riders, like any business they are out to maximize profit. That isn't an indictment, but merely a statement of fact - 99% of the time a business is going to maximize profit with minimal expenditure when they can get away with it. This is my primary problem with people demanding privatization of public services such as transit.

I would like Metro Transit to take back ownership and responsibility for their stops. They should place proper shelters at locations determined by the transit service, not an advertising company, then sell advertising space to the company. There should be more ad space to sell, then Tyler can decide if they want to purchase the space to in turn sell to their clients. It could be a win-win for Metro Transit and Tyler but will take time, commitment, and some initial cash outlay.

[rcjunkie]

I agree Sid. Tyler Advertising obviously doesn't give a rip about the riders, like any business they are out to maximize profit. That isn't an indictment, but merely a statement of fact - 99% of the time a business is going to maximize profit with minimal expenditure when they can get away with it. This is my primary problem with people demanding privatization of public services such as transit.

I would like Metro Transit to take back ownership and responsibility for their stops. They should place proper shelters at locations determined by the transit service, not an advertising company, then sell advertising space to the company. There should be more ad space to sell, then Tyler can decide if they want to purchase the space to in turn sell to their clients. It could be a win-win for Metro Transit and Tyler but will take time, commitment, and some initial cash outlay.

With the ever changing routing system, expensive, permanent bus stops seem like a waste of $$$$$$$$$

[CaptDave]

With the ever changing routing system, expensive, permanent bus stops seem like a waste of $$$$$$$$$

Ah - that is part of the reason I would like Metro Transit to take back ownership. I think our bus system will start improving soon and hopefully the primary routes will become more permanent if they are forced to consider all that is involved with changing routes.

[betts]

With the ever changing routing system, expensive, permanent bus stops seem like a waste of $$$$$$$$$

There is the heart of the matter. Ever changing bus routes do nothing to promote increased use of mass transit. If you've got a grid system, it's easy to remember routes and there's no problem with permanent stops. In addition, I agree that the city needs to assume responsibility for the stops, but only if they plan to create a more sensible system.