Worthing to replace ageing bus shelters in £240,000 upgrade programme
Up to 15 new and refurbished shelters will be installed across the borough later this year
Some of Worthing’s ageing bus shelters are to be replaced, thanks to a £240,000 grant from West Sussex County Council.
The offer of funding – part of a £9million grant given to the county council by the Department for Transport – was accepted during a meeting of Adur and Worthing councils’ joint strategic committee on Tuesday, June 9.
Up to 15 shelters are expected to be replaced – or new ones added – between September and December.
Most will be along Marine Parade, including outside the Lido, with the rest in Colombia Drive, Romany Road, Goring Street, Goring Road, Grand Avenue and Shaftsbury Avenue.
There are 108 bus shelters within the borough, 53 of which are owned and maintained by the council. The ones along Marine Parade could soon be sporting living roofs as they are located in one of the area’s nature corridors.
Other upgrades will include improved seating, intelligent lighting, and a new power supply to enable real-time displays to be installed within the shelters.
A council spokesman said: “These upgrades align directly with our Fair Green & Local corporate plan and our commitment to investing in the town centre.
“These features will significantly improve safety and accessibility while also helping us to meet our sustainability goals.”
The improvements were welcomed by members of the committee, with some saying the shelters’ current condition ‘puts a lot of members of the public off using them’.
Worthing Borough Council leader Caroline Baxter added: “Many of our bus shelters are 30 years old – they’re showing their age. Replacing those shelters and installing new ones is going to create a nice, safer, more comfortable space for people to wait for public transport.
“We need to be doing all that we can to encourage people to use sustainable transport.”