In early 2021, two new bus shelters were installed in Council District 8—one at Western Avenue and Adams Boulevard, and another at Vermont Avenue and Florence Avenue.
These shelters were identified by community members as priorities and provide something many transit riders have long lacked: shade, seating, and a more comfortable place to wait for the bus.
We are grateful to SLATE-Z, Council District 8, City staff, and other partners who helped move the project forward.
The installations were part of Bus Shelter Blitz, a collaborative effort among Climate Resolve, Investing in Place, Pacoima Beautiful, and SLATE-Z. The goal was simple: work with communities to identify bus stop locations where shelters were needed and help navigate the process required to get them installed.
What we learned is that it should not be this difficult.
It took approximately a year from the initial community surveys to see two of ten identified bus shelters installed.
While the project successfully delivered new amenities, it also highlighted broader challenges with how Los Angeles plans, approves, and installs basic infrastructure for transit riders.
Bus shelters are more than street furniture. They are part of the transportation system. They provide shade during extreme heat, support older adults and people with disabilities, and improve the everyday experience of riding transit.
For too long, the process for installing shelters has been slow, complicated, and disconnected from community priorities.
This project demonstrated both the value of community leadership and the need for broader reforms that make it easier to deliver amenities that residents want and need.
Two bus shelters may seem like a small achievement.
But they also reveal a much larger question:
How can Los Angeles build systems that make it easier—not harder—to provide basic infrastructure for the people who rely on it every day?
