Derby’s bus shelters will soon be replaced with new, eco-friendly alternatives.
Around half of Derby’s 90 new shelters will feature living roofs – nicknamed ‘Bee Bus Stops’ – designed to enhance biodiversity, at no cost to taxpayers or the Council.
Each one is planted with a mix of native wildflowers and sedum plants - ideal food sources and habitats for a wide variety of pollinating insects including solitary bees, hoverflies and butterflies, whose numbers have been in decline in recent years.
As well as being visually attractive, the living roofs also benefit the environment by absorbing rainwater falling on the roof and help to overcome the ‘urban heat island effect’. In addition, the sedum helps to filter particulates from the air.
Once complete, Derby will be home to the UK’s largest city network of living roof shelters, clearly demonstrating the Council’s commitment to create a cleaner, greener city. It is just one of many steps being taken to help Derby respond to the climate emergency by cutting carbon emissions and improving biodiversity.
Shelters not receiving living roofs will be installed with solar panels wherever possible, which will power low-energy smart lighting.
The move comes as Derby City Council awards a ten-year contract to advertising and infrastructure company Clear Channel UK to replace, manage and clean the city’s bus shelters.
Work to revamp and replace the shelters is due to begin in Spring 2022. Clear Channel will be working with partners to ensure that all material from the old shelters is recycled, upcycled, or otherwise avoids landfill.
Councillor Steve Hassall, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Decarbonisation, Strategic Planning and Transport said:
The new contract with Clear Channel will bring many benefits for residents and the city.
We’re pleased to be working with the team at Clear Channel to make public transport infrastructure in the city even more sustainable. It is vital that we do everything we can to mitigate the impact of climate change.
Will Ramage, Clear Channel’s Managing Director said:
We’re overjoyed to be working with Derby City Council to bring the greenest, cleanest and most sustainable bus shelters to the city for the residents and visitors of Derby.
The Council has big aspirations for making the city greener and more sustainable, and I’m really glad our latest innovations can help achieve their environmental goals.