City of Lincoln Council proposes introduction of bee-friendly bus shelters

‘Bee-friendly’ bus shelters were put forward as an idea to be introduced.

The Liberal Democrats took the opportunity in their first full City of Lincoln Council meeting as the lead opposition party to present a motion to the majority Labour group around maintenance of bus shelters.

Coun Natasha Chapman pitched the idea of potentially introducing bee-friendly shelters (coined Buzz Stops) to Lincoln in a bid to not only make the bus shelters more attractive, but also to protect pollinators and biodiversity.

It is a scheme that has been rolled out in other parts of the UK, including Newcastle, Hull and Glasgow — with wildflowers and plants on the roof of the shelters serving as ideal habitats and food sources for bees and other insects.

The eco-friendly shelters collect and absorb rainwater, as well as filtering particulates from the air to bring greenery and wildlife habitats back into urban areas.

Presenting her motion to the council, Coun Chapman said “many of the bus shelters are in a bad way, which isn’t great when trying to encourage people to use public transport”.

She described bus shelters as “vital” for all corners of the community, particularly those less mobile, and called on the city council to explore funding possibilities for a scheme like this.

Hull City Council was cited as an example, with the authority using the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, as well as financial backing from the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, to fund the shelters.

Coun Chapman was supported by her fellow Liberal Democrat councillors during the motion debate, with Coun Martin Christopher saying: “This innovative approach can significantly benefit our city, residents and the environment.”

Coun James Brown echoed this, pointing to the fact that multiple references were made to the state of bus shelters during the recent local election campaigns.

“If we want to encourage bus users, one of the few things in our power is the bus shelters,” he said.

Council leader Naomi Tweddle (Labour) said she “appreciates the spirit of the motion” and shared “many of the opinions” of the Liberal Democrat motion, but said it was “a bit premature,” as the city council is currently in negotiations with the county council regarding bus stop maintenance and ownership.

“For me, it [bus stops and shelters] should be part of the wider transport infrastructure,” the council leader said. “However, we will see how talks progress with the county council.”

Currently, the city council is responsible for just one third of the city’s bus shelters, with the rest in the hands of the county council. The negotiations mentioned by the city council leader appear to relate to the management of these shelters moving forward.

Ultimately, the motion was not passed, as Labour members rejected it and overruled the votes in favour by both the Lib Dem and Conservative groups.

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