Bus Riders May Get Some Cover: Weston Commissioners Are Considering Installing Bus Shelters in the City

By Jerry Berrios, The Miami Herald

Oct. 22–Weston Road may be getting nine bus shelters.

Last week, Weston commissioners discussed installing shelters to protect riders from the sun, rain and traffic.

“We are in South Florida. It is extremely hot during the summer months,” Commissioner Mercedes Henriksson said. “It rains a lot during the rainy season. Bottom line: People could be waiting 45 minutes for a bus.”

Commissioners discussed the idea last year. Henriksson asked that the matter be brought up again. A previous estimate reached nearly $542,000.

Mayor Eric Hersh, who had opposed spending that much money because of low ridership numbers, changed his mind because of safety concerns.

“I think the time has come,” Hersh said. “I don’t disagree.”

Commissioners Dan Stermer and Murray Chermak said they wanted to see scaled-down proposals for the project.

The bus shelters previously proposed featured brick pavers and other features, but officials will now look at ways to reduce costs, including sticking to concrete and eliminating some finishes, road work and landscaping.

Officials also will be looking for ways to pay for them.

Bus Route 23, which travels from the Pembroke Lakes Mall in Pembroke Pines to the Sawgrass Mills mall in Sunrise, makes several stops on Weston Road.

The route’s ridership has increased, Broward County Transit spokeswoman Phyllis Berry said.

In August 2006, 16,303 riders traveled along that route, up from 14,402 people in August of 2005.

Next year, the route may head south to the Miramar Neighborhood Transit Center, which is likely to increase ridership, Berry said.

Commissioner Sharon Cheren lauded Henriksson for bringing the issue back before the commission.

“We need to look at the overall security and welfare of all individuals that come into our city and not just those who are residents,” Cheren said. “That’s what we do here. We provide services for everyone.”

Bus riders should have a designated place to sit and wait, said Henriksson, who is concerned about their safety.

Henriksson said she has seen people sitting on the curb with their legs out in the road waiting for the bus.

“That is not acceptable,” she said.

The southbound bus stop on North Commerce Parkway and Weston Road, located adjacent to a guardrail, is dangerous and inconvenient, Henriksson said.

Riders getting off the bus must step over the curb and walk in the grass or in the street. There is no sidewalk on that side of the road.

“It isn’t safe for the people getting on and off the buses, Henriksson said. “It isn’t safe for the people driving.”

A Realtor, Henriksson is always on the road and sees people waiting at bus stops during peak morning and afternoon commuting hours.

If the shelters are built, they would be at the intersections of Weston Road and Emerald Park Circle, Meridian Parkway, Royal Palm Boulevard, North Commerce Parkway and north of Indian Trace.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Miami Herald

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

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