Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In

Variety is the spice of Streetsblog's Sorriest Bus Stop in America tournament, and today's first round match introduces two bus stops that are each sorry in their own unique way.

So far, bus stops in Nashville, Cincinnati, and Beverly Hills are through to the second round. Voting is open until midnight for yesterday's matchup pairing Pittsburgh against Revere, Massachusetts.

Now meet the contenders in today's competition.

Salt Lake City

Salt lake City bus stop

You may be wondering what's so bad about this bus stop in Taylorsville, Utah, outside Salt Lake City. But there's a good reason two people independently nominated it for this competition.

At first, this "appears to be a splendid example of a bus stop done right," in the words of nominator Mike Christensen. "It sits upon a concrete pad with a shelter, bench, and even a trash can."

But actually it's terrible. The nearest crosswalk is 1,100 feet away, and what makes that really galling is what's right across the street, Christensen says:

This bus stop lies along a five-lane wide stroad, where drivers typically speed along at 50 mph or more. The reason why the bus stop has undergone extensive improvements lies in the simple fact that it sits across the street from the headquarters of the Utah Department of Transportation.

Walking to Utah DOT headquarters from this stop using a marked crosswalk would require a 10-minute detour along a highway with no sidewalks. Sometimes it's hard to tell who deserves the blame for sorry bus stops, but in this case it could not be clearer -- Utah DOT.

McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania

mckees Rocks bus stop

This stop in McKees Rocks, outside Pittsburgh, offers bus riders nothing. No sidewalks. No shelter. Nowhere to sit. No trash can. And the turning radius at this street corner is so generous, it practically begs drivers to race through.

But the cherry on top is that "no pedestrians" sign which seems to be saying that bus riders aren't allowed at this bus stop. Thanks to reader Sarah Quinn for flagging this blatant but fitting sign of disrespect.

This stop is served by the Port Authority of Allegheny County, but in this case it's the engineers in charge of streets for the borough of McKees Rocks who shoulder the blame.

bus_stop_2018

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday Video: The London Neighborhood Where Bikes Outnumber Cars

...and how they got to that impressive milestone.

July 11, 2025

Friday’s Headlines Battle Galactus

Like the Marvel supervillain, U.S. interstate highway system seems to eat up everything in his path. A new book explores how to stop it.

July 11, 2025

New Report Shows Pedestrian Fatalities Drop — But Experts Say Not Enough

The Governors Highway Safety Association report showed a 4 percent drop in the number of pedestrian deaths last year, putting a slow on a dangerous trend — but advocates say the drop isn't nearly big enough.

July 11, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: Localities Subsidize the State DOT

Adie Tomer of Brookings on how to improve regional coordination around infrastructure.

July 10, 2025

Five of the Ugliest Transportation Policies In the ‘Big, Beautiful’ Bill

Here's a rundown of some of the transportation provisions in the Republicans' reconciliation package, and what they might mean for your community.

July 10, 2025

Viva La Thursday’s Headlines

Why is French transit ridership up 10 percent since before the pandemic, while American transit ridership is down 23 percent?

July 10, 2025
See all posts