The Dutch
city of Utrecht has transformed hundreds of its bus stops into lush,
bee-friendly havens which will help support pollinating populations.
As bus stops
are usually just a place for humans to sit and wait, most of them aren’t
particularly outstanding or attractive to look at.
However,
Utrecht council saw an opportunity in the structures and decided to have a
revamp in order to give them a whole new wholesome purpose.
The city,
located in the central Netherlands, now has 316 bus stops with rooftops covered
in greenery.
The
additions not only make the bus stops look nicer but they help to capture fine
dust and store rainwater. One of the biggest benefits of the succulents,
however, is that they help support the city’s biodiversity, such as honey bees
and bumblebees.
According to
the Dutch website Wildebijen there are 358 bee species in the Netherlands but
unfortunately more than 56 per cent of those species are endangered and on the
Dutch Red List (RL).
The new
greenery will work to encourage pollination as the little creatures are
attracted to the luscious new shelters.
As explained
in the European Red List of Bees, bees are key in wild and agricultural
ecosystem dynamics as they fertilise plants and allow them to reproduce.
As well as
making transforming their bus stops into ‘bee stops’, Utrecht council are
encouraging locals to take similar steps with their own rooftops by offering a
subsidy for residents who have roofs over 20 square metres, in order to help
them create green roofs of their own.
Addressing
the benefits of plant-covered rooftops, the council’s website explains:
A green roof
is good for a healthy and livable city. The city can therefore better cope with
climate problems. It helps to prevent flooding and ensures that we suffer less
from heat.
The city is
taking further steps to improve the environment with plans to replace 125 buses
with new 55 new electric buses by the end of 2019.
Speaking of
the initiative, Deputy Dennis Street said:
With this
replacement, the province of Utrecht, together with the U-OV transport company,
will kill two birds with one stone. With the arrival of so many new electric
buses, we are taking a big step towards the goal of completely clean public
transport in 2028.
Officials
are reportedly also planning to install solar panels on every single one of the
bus stops in the future.
Incredible!
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