Shelter wait finally over

Morecambe’s missing bus shelter, for Lancaster-bound buses at The Battery, has finally been replaced by advertising contractors, Clear Channel.

The shelter was demolished in a collision with a road vehicle (not a bus!) in December 2021, since when passengers have endured three wet and windy winters waiting for buses in this exposed location. Campaigns by the Bus Users’ Group and local councillors for a speedy replacement have been unsuccessful until now.

But with summer 2024 on its way its replacement has finally arrived – and a special replacement it is: – Morecambe’s first “living-roof” or bee-friendly bus shelter!

According to Clear Channel, the advertising contractor that provided the shelter, “Living roof bus shelters are planted with a mix of 13 native wildflower and five sedum species to aid and support bees and other pollinators that have been in decline in recent years. The thoughtfully-designed shelters contribute towards climate resistance, absorb rainwater falling on the roof, help to reduce the ‘Urban Heat Island Effect’, capture particulates from the air, and help make the city a greener and happier place”.

A second bee-friendly shelter is expected to arrive shortly at the Aldi stop on Morecambe promenade, whilst the seat from the shelter it replaces is expected to find a new home in Lancaster at the busy stop outside Sainsbury’s following a request from the Bus Users’ Group.