New bus shelters

Suva

It is great news that the Fiji Roads Authority has embarked lately to build 84 new bus shelters around the country. We can see a few in the Suva area and the others are expected to be built within the next seven months.

This initiative is warmly appreciated by the general travelling public as a good percentage of the commuters rely on the public transport.

The bus shelters will add to commuters’ comfort and accessibility to bus routes and the areas that have been prioritised are mostly in front of schools, health centres and busy intersections.

The new bus shelters has a Category 4 Cyclone certification, designed to withstand tropical cyclones.

The new assets are an expensive structure and the users need to be mindful to maximise the advantage and eliminate any abuse or report any unethical behaviour should they notice any damages done to the bus shelters.

Some of the newest structure which is hardly more than two months old has signs of graffiti abuse.

The new bus shelter was designed by the Fiji Roads Authority and has viewing panels on the sides and the extended roof provides a good protection from the adverse weather conditions.

Together with good seating the new bus shelters can accommodate a large number of people if need be. However, it is also noted with great concern that the current design has created a safety issue where the three support up-right pillars are angled at about 30 degree outwards to supports the rafters of the structure.

The angle of the projection on the pillars are about three feet from the base of the support pillars and easily can result in injuries if the commuters are not careful. The three-angled support pillars makes it a difficult for the people either to exit or enter the bus shelters as this obstruction is a hazard and in line of an unsuspecting persons head.

The risk of the injuries may increase during the night because of inadequate lighting environment. As a precautionary measures and to avoid collision it would be advisable to paint the arms that are extending outwards in white and red strips that will act as a warning device.

I believe the architectural drawings must be reviewed with the view to eliminate such risk that will provide safety and comfort to all the users for the construction of the future bus shelters. Apart from that I would like to sincerely thank FRA for the good work of taking up the initiative to provide better bus shelters for the public.