‘Buzz Stops’? Mark Anthony Sammut Slams Controversial Santa Venera Bus Shelter, Bringing Up Utrecht’s Sustainable Ones
PN MP Mark Anthony Sammut compared the €20,000 Santa Venera bus shelter that has been blasted for being an “eyesore” with a Utrecht one that has plants blanketing the roof.
“On the left: ‘bus shelter’ ugly steel beams that offer no protection at all. On the right: bus shelters in Utrecht, Holland, that shelter from sun and rain, reduce carbon, help bees, birds, butterflies, and biodiversity. And most of all, they are beautiful,” Sammut wrote on Facebook.
Sammut wrote the Utrech cost €12,000 but this is not entirely accurate because they aren’t funded by the municipality. However, a Shropshire Star article explained that the UK local council was considering the plant-roofed bus stops and that this would cost over £10,000.
The possibility of retro-fitting plant roofs to other bus shelters could also be explored, at a cost of £6,000 each, the report says.
Over 316 bus stops in Utrecht are covered with sedum plants in an attempt to create a more sustainable, healthy city that supports biodiversity.
Honeybees and bumblebees enjoy the plants sitting atop the roof of “buzz stops”; the plants also help capture dust and store rainwater.
Energy-efficient LED lights and bamboo benches have also been installed, and workers driving electric vehicles maintain the bus stops.
Freshly elected PN councillor Karl Carabott slammed the local council’s previous decision to spend nearly €20,000 on a new bus shelter in Santa Venera. However, this price tag has since been rejected as false by the office of the sole bidder, George Vella, who said the total cost could be closer to €17,900 instead.
Santa Venera’s ex-mayor denied the timing of installation was connected to the recent local elections and stated it had to be replaced as it was becoming hazardous.
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