Bee Bus Stops Coming Soon to a City in the UK
Wildflower bee bus stops will be coming soon to Cardiff!
You may remember in an October blog post last year we shared how the Dutch city of Utrecht had gifted their urban honeybees with wildflowers, particularly plants that are hardy and drought-resistant, like sedum plants which bees love. The Dutch are innovative, so they installed the plants on the rooftops of 316 bus stops city-wide.
Everybody loved that concept and it seemed so easy, we wondered why it wasn't being done elsewhere. As it turns out, Auckland, New Zealand and Hamburg, Germany intend to implement this bee-friendly idea in their cities.
The residents in Cardiff, Wales, in the UK were so enthusiastic that they decided to copy the Utrecht project, which has been such an asset in helping to attract bees and give urban nourishment to honeybees, bumblebees and other insects. It is considered wildly successful. A Cardiff council spokesperson acknowledged plans to introduce bee bus stops in the heart of the city center. Wildflowers and other plants will be planted on the rooves of specific bus stops to attract insects, and most importantly, bees.
In the bustling city of Cardiff, wildflowers will be planted atop 10 bus stops to attract city bees and give them urban foraging opportunities. These “bee bus stops” will also beautify the urban space and make it greener, which is pleasant for all residents, including bees. This is part of a project to redesign roads in the city center layout, since the public transport infrastructure needs a significant improvement and new opportunities for cycling, walking, cleaner air quality and active travel. The company Clear Channel with maintain the bus stops as part of their maintenance contract with the council for the upkeep of the bus stops city-wide.
These bee bus stops will be installed in the following areas: Lower St. Mary Street, Park Street, two on Wood Street, Castle Street, Kingsway, Dumfries Place, Station Terrace and Churchill Way, Cycleway 1 on Cathays Terrace and Whitchurch Road.
The Dutch model shows us there are other advantages to these eco-friendly shelters. Not only do they support Utrecht’s biodiversity for honeybees and bumblebees, they also store rainwater, help to capture fine dust and improve air quality. This video is only 1:26 minutes long and features a Utrecht bee bus stop:
The bee bus stops in Utrecht are maintained by workers in electric vehicles, and the bus stops all have energy-efficient LED lights and bamboo benches.
Utrecht is a model city that strives to provide clean earth-friendly living for its residents. The city aims to have electric buses and completely clean public transport by 2028. Electricity from Dutch windmills will be used to power the buses.
This unique Dutch city even has a program for residents who wish to apply for funding so they can transform their own roofs into green roofs for bees.
Let’s hope more cities around the world implement the Utrecht model for the good of the planet, humans and all bees.
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