Merseyside has received its first pollinator-friendly bus shelter as the region attempts to strengthen its ecological ambitions.
The green-roofed shelter – already nicknamed ‘bush stop’ – has been installed at the Mersey Ferry Terminal in the Seacombe district of Wallasey on the Wirral Peninsula in northwestern England.
Organisers hope to stabilise local ecosystems by transforming the metal roofs of bus shelters into lavish greenery.
Several towns and cities across the United Kingdom – including Newcastle, Sunderland, Oxford and Derby – have been equipped with green bus shelters in recent months as part of an eco initiative by operator Clear Channel UK.
The company – which is in charge of around 30,000 commercial shelters on behalf of the councils – said Leicester was currently in the lead with 30 bee bus stops installed since last year.
Clear Channel UK said it planned to follow the example of countries such as Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands by setting up at least 1,000 eco-friendly bus shelters in Britain in the coming years.
The roof of the Mersey Ferry Terminal ‘buzz stop’ – the first of its kind in the Liverpool City Region – features native wildflowers such as wild marjoram, thyme and kidney vetch, according to local media.
Entomologists are optimistic that these plants would attract pollinators and ensure a diverse local ecosystem.
Steve Rotheram, the metro mayor of the Liverpool City Region, reportedly plans to install further green roof shelters all over the region.
The initiative is part of the Labour politician’s Community Environment Fund which aims at boosting various climate awareness and environmental projects in the region.
After having approved a volume of GBP 500,000 (EUR 578,000) in November 2021, local leaders agreed to inject another half million pounds earlier this year.
Rotheram said: “Climate change is the single greatest challenge our planet faces – and how we step up to the plate will be the defining moment in our generation’s legacy.”
The metro mayor said local decision-makers were “pushing forward with plans to stake our place as the UK’s renewable energy coast. We have the natural assets and underlying strengths in abundance to grasp that opportunity with both hands.”
He underlined that “individuals have a vital part to play too.”
Rotheram said: “Taken together, lots of small actions from ordinary people working together with a common purpose can make a massive difference. That’s what the Community Environment Fund is all about: empowering our people to take action to improve their local area.”
Referring to the possible extension of the green roof bus shelter initiative, the politician said his team was “working with partners to explore how we can install many more of these ‘living roofs’ at shelters across the city region in the months and years to come.”
