Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In

If you harbor any doubt that America treats bus riders as second-class citizens, look no further than these two bus stops.

Miami and New Orleans face off as we deliver more first round action in the 2018 Sorriest Bus Stop tournament. At these bus stops, car-centric development, poor maintenance, and plain old neglect have conspired to deliver horrific waiting environments for bus riders. Our cities need to do better.

So far NashvilleCincinnatiBeverly HillsPittsburgh, and McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, have sent bus tops through to the Elite Eight. Which of these bus stops deserves to join them?

Miami

davie_stop

This horrifying stop in the Miami suburb of Davie, Florida, comes to us from reader Ryan Shedd.

It's on Route 84, a Florida DOT service road for I-595, and it's on the wrong side of a highway sound barrier. Bus riders walk through a gap in the sound barrier to get between this stop and the suburban housing development on the other side.

This bus stop illustrates how irregular suburban street networks that funnel traffic onto highways are incompatible with good transit. There are a lot of homes near this bus stop, but the streets where those homes are located don't form a walkable grid. Instead of walking to a human-scaled avenue to catch the bus, riders have to head out to this hellacious traffic sewer.

New Orleans

new orleans bus stop 2

Reader Lawrence Mason submitted this sorry, sorry bus stop on Sullen Place in the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans. Mason writes:

The grass surrounding the bus stop has grown well beyond four feet in height -- except for a patch of grass that is kept at ankle/shin height. Additionally, this stop has no sidewalk despite its location right across the street from an apartment complex.

The stop is served by multiple RTA bus routes, but it looks like this is a failure of the city and its Department of Public Works more than the transit agency.

bus_stop_2018

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Talking Headways Podcast: The Menace of Prosperity

Daniel Wortel-London on his new book, "The Menace of Prosperity: New York City and the Struggle for Economic Development, 1875–1981."

August 28, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines Are a Sneak Preview

Want to see what happens when a city makes major transit cuts? Just look at Philadelphia. It's not pretty.

August 28, 2025

What I’ve Learned From Getting Transit Wrong

"Advocacy isn’t about pretending you’ve always been right. It’s about learning, adapting, and bringing those lessons into the fight for better transit and better cities."

August 28, 2025

L.A. Council Committee Approves Step toward Eliminating Parking Requirements

Off-street parking at new developments is not going away. If the city doesn't require parking, developers will still build parking.

August 27, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines Get Off the Cheese Wagon

Transporting K-12 students via public transit can save schools money, but there are challenges involved, like teaching children how to use the system.

August 27, 2025

The Fall of Philadelphia

"Cutting almost half of a transit system is not a way to make it more efficient. It more like asking whether you’d like to keep your heart or your lungs."

August 27, 2025
See all posts