Recently, and especially over the past weekend, you may have noticed bus shelters at bus stops with the glass shattered all around the city. Piles of glass sit on the sidewalk at transit stops and sometimes, it is one after another on the street.
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It can become an annoyance to those who are frequent bus riders, and the frustration rises during poor weather conditions. But, for those that are often on London Transit, you don’t have to worry about the bus shelters being removed, despite the vandalism to the shelters, Kelly Paleczny, the General Manager at London Transit, says that removing the shelters isn’t in talks, and that you don’t have to worry about not having them at your stop.
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New materials have been discussed at the London Transit Commission, for example, using plexiglass opposed to regular glass. But, Paleczny explains why regular glass is better.
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“Unfortunately glass, although it’s obviously very expensive, it’s one of the safest alternatives. Also, it’s the alternative that makes the most sense for shelters. If you look into plexiglass, the materials of that nature, if they get broken, then they can result in jagged edges that can have someone seriously injured. Even just regular wear and tear from wind, or that type of thing, they get to the point where you can’t really see through them well, which makes them ineffective.”
aThe glass that is used on the bus shelters does shatter easily, but Paleczny explains the glass and how it breaks.
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“It is safety glass, so when that glass is hit, it shatters into pieces that are not sharp so it’s designed to break the way that it does, specifically for safety purposes.”
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With the shattering happening so frequently, Paleczny says there are concerns about shelters being taken out, but she wants to assure those that take the bus that removing them aren’t an option with London Transit. Instead, she explains what steps transit takes.
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“There have been incidents where glass will be shattered, we’ll replace it, and two days later it’ll happen again, in the same location. In situations like that what may happen is the glass will just be left out, and what we hope in those cases is whoever was the perpetrator will lose interest, so that when we do replace the glass the next time it will stay.”
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Unfortunately, even with these vandalism’s occurring, there isn’t a way to prevent it. But, if you witness someone attempting to break the glass, or someone who has broken it, you can call London Transit or London Police. Luckily, London Transit does have a few individuals who will go around cleaning up the glass, so if you call and let them know the location of the bus shelter, someone will come by to clean it up, and repair it.
