After two years of Streetsblog's sorry bus stop competitions, we've only seen the tip of the iceberg -- there are so many more uncomfortable, inaccessible, and outright dangerous American bus stops in need of a good public shaming. Every year we hear from readers who say they wish they'd sent in a picture of their worst local bus stop to compete, so we're putting together another bracket.
We need your help to fill out the field of bus stops that will compete for nationwide ridicule (and with it, a kick in the pants for local streets and transit agencies who are responsible). We're looking for entries that exemplify what needs to change with waiting environments for buses and the streets that lead to them.
The first part of every bus trip is the walk to the stop, but too many streets are designed for cars, not pedestrians. In surveys, people say comfortable waiting areas are an important factor in their decision to ride transit, but too many bus stops are just a stick poking out of the sidewalk, with nowhere to sit and no protection from the elements.
From the reader submissions, Streetsblog staff will select the field that will compete in the sorriest bus stop bracket. Extra weight will be given to entries in urban areas where transit service is especially important.
A bus stop in Silver Spring, Maryland, won the dishonor last year, following the inaugural shaming of a lonely asphalt patch in St. Louis County.
Send your nominations to angie [at] streetsblog [dot] org or leave them in the comments. Be sure to include a photo, the exact location (preferably tagged in Google Maps), and a short description of what makes the bus stop so awful. The deadline is August 15.
