This is Metro Vancouver's fanciest transit bus shelter (PHOTOS)

May 4 2018, 5:55 am

What would a functional bus shelter doubling as a public art sculpture look like?

Well, look no further than a recently revealed special bus shelter on Ewen Avenue in New Westminster’s Queensborough neighbourhood, located immediately across from the Queensborough Community Centre.

New Westminster Public Art Bus Shelter

The new public art bus shelter outside Queensborough Community Centre in New Westminster. (City of New Westminster)

This is a real bus shelter that serves TransLink’s route No. 104, running between 22nd Street Station and Annacis Island.

And it’s all part of the City of New Westminster’s public art program, which commissioned Studio HUIZENGA to design the installation.

New Westminster Public Art Bus Shelter

The new public art bus shelter outside Queensborough Community Centre in New Westminster. (City of New Westminster)

The sweeping, curvy design is said to be inspired by Queensborough’s natural landscape, and the project aims to improve the transit riding experience while also increasing local exposure to public art.

It has a large glass windscreen, a sunroof, and a large wooden bench, with the wood finishing extending to the ceiling.

New Westminster Public Art Bus Shelter

The new public art bus shelter outside Queensborough Community Centre in New Westminster. (City of New Westminster)

New Westminster Public Art Bus Shelter

The new public art bus shelter outside Queensborough Community Centre in New Westminster. (City of New Westminster)

“Cities and transportation agencies have been incorporating public art into transit operations over the past 20 years in an effort to increase ridership through improved aesthetics,” said New Westminster Mayor Jonathan Coté in a statement.

“We are proud to bring a unique public art design to the functional structure of the Queensborough bus shelter which will not only enhance the everyday rider experience but also beautify the community.”

More new bus shelters will also be coming to numerous bus stops across the region over the near-term, but this will be a TransLink initiative.

Later this year, the 99 B-Line’s westbound bus stop at Commercial-Broadway Station, outside Shoppers Drug Mart, will receive a new glass roof bus shelter with a covering capacity for about 160 passengers. This new shelter is being built as part of the $60-million project to retrofit Commercial-Broadway Station.

And as part of a comprehensive B-Line expansion and improvement program, the public transit authority plans to install new special bus shelters at B-Line stops. The features of these new B-Line shelters will include real-time information screens displaying the current time and time of arrival of the next buses and accessibility elements such as yellow tactile pads.

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Kenneth ChanKenneth Chan

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