From the AATA:

AATA installing 13 new bus shelters

ANN ARBOR, MI – Thirteen new bus shelters are slated for installation by the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA) next week. Seven are replacing shelters that are more than 20 years old and can no longer be properly maintained, while six will be installed at new locations.

In preparation for the installations, the old shelters have been removed and new cement pads have been poured where needed to assure compliance under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

In response to recent inquiries from passengers following the removal of the old shelters, AATA Manager of Service Development Chris White said, “We want to assure our passengers that the shelters that have been removed will be replaced. Notices to this effect were placed in the shelters before they were removed.”

According to White, the new shelters feature the first design update for AATA bus shelters since 1981. The new shelters feature a black anodized-finish frame with a light blue powder-coated fascia, a barrel-vaulted roof with a gray tinted acrylic glazing and gray tinted tempered glass side panels.

The shelters will all include benches and some, where there are routine maintenance agreements with local property owners, will have waste receptacles. Most of the shelters measure six feet by 12 feet in various configurations; two are slightly smaller to fit locations with a narrower right-of-way.

The cost of the shelters and installation is funded by a federal transit grant, White said.

The bus shelters have been constructed and will be installed by Duo-Gard Industries of Canton, Michigan.

In announcing the addition of the new locations, White said, “The dramatic increase in the number of riders in the last two years has significantly increased the number of high-volume bus stops, that is, those with 50 or more passenger boardings per day. We are placing our six new shelters at high-volume bus stops and will be adding more shelters at heavily used stops and installing new stand-alone benches at additional locations next year.“

Sure, this rates high on the Wonk-o-meeter, but this interview with Todd Litman, founder and Executive Director of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute and author of “Parking Management Best Practices,” is worth reading for anyone concerned about parking.

Among some of the gems in this interview are Litman’s “Common misconceptions about planning and parking”:

1. Abundant, free parking is always best for business.
2. It is best to adhere to conventional parking standards.
3. Americans (or Canadians, Italians, English, etc.) have a love affair with their cars. They will never give them up. They will never walk more than 100 steps from a parking space to a destination.
4. Parking management is “anti-car.”

Intrigued? Check out the interview here: Meet the Author