A Sorry Stop
Ian Trivers, Daniel Parris, Aisha Sultan
Local bus stops are an often overlooked but critical urban infrastructure, the main entry point for transit riders in most cities. Despite their importance, it is common for bus stops to be little more than a curbside sign on a pole, particularly in the auto-dominated United States. As a prime example, in 2015 the national publication StreetsBlog USA’s readers overwhelmingly crowned a bus stop in St. Louis as “America’s Sorriest Bus Stop”
This recently removed bus stop- sign-on-a-pole along a desolate stretch of divided highway had no amenities, sidewalks, crosswalks, or safe paths whatsoever – just a patch of asphalt on the road’s shoulder surrounded by verge. The poor physical quality and integration with the urban fabric of local bus stops is not just a matter of safety and uneven quality for transit users, but also a matter of equity and dignity. Buses in the United States disproportionately serve transit reliant riders who are minority and low income. The state of local bus stops is an issue of urban inequality.
This project sheds light on the overlooked importance of bus stops through a short documentary focused on the matter in the context of auto-dominated St. Louis, Missouri. Looking closely at the issue and accentuating the stories of those who use bus stops and what they want us to see, the film seeks to build support for taking the physical and social importance of bus stops seriously. The project is led by filmmakers Daniel Parris and Aisha Sultan, and the Sam Fox School/Technion Israel Institute of Technology Zuckerman Post-Doctoral Fellow Ian Trivers. Collaborators in the project include Citizens for Modern Transit, The Pulitzer Arts Foundation, The Fair Transport Lab at Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Professor Karel Marten of Technion Israel Institute of Technology and Professor Eric Mumford of the Sam Fox School.