City Unveils New Bus Shelter Program in Reseda
A small and excited crowd braved a sticky afternoon in the Valley to celebrate the official unveiling of the City’s Sidewalk and Transit Amenities Program (STAP) — thankfully, there was plenty of shade under the brand-new bus shelter at the corner of Victory and Reseda Boulevards in Reseda.
STAP, the modern replacement for the City of Los Angeles’ Coordinated Street Furniture Program, is bringing new, upgraded features to bus stops and shelters across LA, including shade structures and accessible seating options.
The new shelter in Reseda features three shaded seats under a large canopy, next to a video screen offering real-time bus arrival information. The Reseda shelter is the 12th bus shelter completed through STAP; 28 more are currently under construction, and 394 sites have been selected as future locations. StreetsLA began conducting extensive engagement with bus riders and stakeholders in 2020, and that information has helped inform and direct STAP, which aims to ultimately build 3,000 new bus shelters across Los Angeles.
Throughout the process, STAP has focused on historically underserved communities that rely on the bus; bus shelters provide shade from increasingly hot weather, which is a huge problem in Los Angeles, where shade is distributed inequitably based on class and race. In a hotter and hotter Los Angeles, shelters are a crucial climate adaptation strategy, and STAP is a great step in the right direction.
“Los Angeles has to prioritize public transportation in the run-up to the 2028 Olympics, especially in those communities where driving a personal vehicle is a luxury, not the norm,” said Damian Kevitt, Founder and Executive Director of Streets Are For Everyone. “It’s also vital to get more Angelenos to be willing to save money and take public transportation.”
For more info and to track the progress of the STAP bus shelters across Los Angeles, check out StreetsLA’s handy map. For more info on the background and history of STAP — and the very hard work required to get the project to where it is today — check out MoveLA’s recap here.