Town to Install More Shelters at Bus Stops; Riders Rejoice

Brookhaven bus riders will have more shelter thanks to a renewed 10-year licensing agreement between the Town of Brookhaven and Signal Outdoor Advertising LCC of Deer Park, a promising development for public transit users.

Bus riders in the Three Village area think that more bus shelters are needed not only for cover from the weather but also for a nice place to sit while they wait.

“When you are at a bus stop that doesn’t have a [shelter] when it is raining, it is so annoying,” said Donna Rose Smith, 23, of South Setauket. Smith often takes the S71 from the Stony Brook University Union to her two jobs at Target in South Setauket and the University hospital.

“It’s really cheap. For students it’s only a dollar,” said Smith, who is a student at S.B.U. She said that’s a plus in taking the bus, especially since she does not have a car at the moment.

Other S.B.U. students like Robert Repetti, 19, of Shirley, have another form of transportation but choose to use the Suffolk County Transit System because of the low price.

“I have class on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. It’s just a cheap, convenient way to get to class,” said Repetti, as he waited for the S71 route at the S.B.U. Union Bus stop to take him home.

“There is a need for bus shelters,” he said. “One, they work as a landmark as opposed to just a sign. Two, when you are waiting you get tired of standing and they have a place to sit. Three, they keep you out of the weather.”

Other local bus stops seemed bare compared to the University’s stop during the day, but as the late afternoon approached more people were prepared to venture to their late-night jobs and activities.

“They need [bus shelters] here,” said Christopher Urena, 42 of Port Jefferson Station. “We could use about 30 more in the area and they would sure help in the winter.”

Urena takes the S62 route from the Shell station at Route 347 and Old Town Road to the Smithhaven Mall. He takes the route because he would rather save up for a house than for a car right now.

“There is a big need for shelters,” said Valarie Biscardi, Commissioner of Housing and Human Services for the Town of Brookhaven, who is affiliated with the Community Development Department. “We have the bus service run throughout Brookhaven and many residents rely on the bus. The shelters are needed to shield riders from the elements.”

Paul Slingo, 37, of Port Jeff Station, agrees. 

“The shelters help to keep the shade when it is hot.” Slingo takes the S62 bus route to ‘get around town’ but also to get to Riverhead where he works.

The new bus shelters will be built at the locations on town roads where only bus stop signs are currently present. A town spokesman said in its previous 10-year agreement, Brookhaven received 10 percent of the advertising revenue brought in from the bus shelters. In 2010, that brought in $25,000. In the new agreement, which is also for a ten-year time period, the town will receive 20 percent of the advertising revenue.

Messages left to staff at Suffolk County Transit were not returned.