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Bee-Friendly Bus Stops Appearing In UK

Bee-Friendly Bus Stops Appearing In UK

Leicester City Council has launched a 10-year scheme to improve its shelters

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers

Bee-friendly bus stops are starting to crop up in the UK.

Leicester City Council has announced a 10-year scheme to improve the region's shelters, creating eco-friendly alternatives that will boost the area's biodiversity.

Around 12 of the green shelters have been set up in the city, including spots on Charles Street, London Road and Melton Road.

Each of the 'living roofs' has been planted with a mix of wildflowers and Sedum plants, which it's said will help improve biodiversity in the area, giving a boost to the local bee population as well as adding a bit more colour to the city.

The council signed a deal with invstors Out of Home and Clear Channel UK, with the aim of renovating the city's 479 shelters - at no cost to the council.

All new shelters in the city will be fitted out with solar panels where possible, it has been said.

This will make Leicester the first city in the country to commit to such a project.

Leicester has introduced the first city-wide solar panel/living roof scheme in the UK.
Open Channel UK

Speaking about the scheme, Deputy City Mayor Councillor Adam Clarke said: "It's great to see the first of Leicester's new living roof bus shelters appearing across the city.

"We've already had some fantastic feedback from people who are as excited as we are to see this bee and butterfly friendly revamp of bus shelters taking shape.

"But this is just one of many benefits of the citywide revamp of our bus shelters.

"The new, modern shelters will be great for passengers and the mix of solar power and living roofs is another step forward for our ambition to be a carbon neutral, biodiverse and climate-adapted city by 2030."

Managing director of the investing company, Clear Channel, Will Ramage said: "Leicester City Council has made a huge and decisive step to install environmentally-conscious bus shelters across the entire city.

"We know that true change comes when we start to roll out these types of innovation at scale.

"The council has shown itself as a leader in reshaping what the UK's streets could look like in the near future. We're really excited for people to see the new living roof bus shelters as we roll these out across Leicester in the coming weeks."

Utrecht became the first city to launch the ambitious eco-friendly project in 2019.
Supplied

The idea of bee-friendly eco shelters was first reported back in 2019, when the local council in the Dutch city of Utrecht announced plans to renovate the city's 300 bus stops.

Since then, a number of cities across Europe, such as Leipzig in Germany and Helsingborg in Sweden, have followed suit.

A spokesperson for Utrecht Council told LADbible: "Our mission is to be the healthiest region in Europe

"Green roofs help with the capture of fine dust, the storage of rainwater and provide cooling in the heat.

"They also ensure biodiversity in the city, which is good for insects such as bees. In 2050, Utrecht wants to be completely circular as a city."

Featured Image Credit: Clear Channel UK

Topics: Environment, council, Europe, city, Politics