New Green Roof Bus Stops in Utrecht Cater to Commuting Bees

February 3, 2024 2:11 AM

New Green Roof Bus Stops in Utrecht Cater to Commuting Bees. Commuters in Utrecht may notice a new green tinge to their neighborhood bus stop. Local authorities in the Dutch city have added 316 green-roofed, bee-friendly bus stops to public transit routes. More than 50% of the Netherlands’ 358 bee species are endangered; the green roofs provide safe, consistent habitat for the critically important pollinators, and are planted with low-maintenance sedum.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries (9 comments total)

I was concerned that firms in the Netherlands were forcing bees to commute, but this is god news! Also, attractive bus stop design.
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:52 AM on February 3 [3 favorites]

Bees don't like commuting either.
posted by cupcakeninja at 4:20 AM on February 3 [1 favorite]

A bachelor student at the University of Utrecht did his thesis on these bus stops and found they are much more effective when more green space is nearby, and that bees prefer to pollinate at bus stop roofs that are nearby larger green spaces, rather than making trips to roofs farther away for pollen and nectar. That's not to say the roofs are useless, just that supporting bee populations through a piecemeal approach is less likely to be effective.
posted by wakannai at 4:39 AM on February 3 [7 favorites]

Ha. I live in Utrecht and didn't realise the plants on top of bushokjes are for the benefit of bees. Interesting.
posted by jouke at 5:05 AM on February 3 [4 favorites]

They need to do this in the Bay Area, then they could call it Bus-Bee Berkeley to match the old Humphrey Go-Bart shuttles.
posted by chavenet at 5:10 AM on February 3 [5 favorites]

We have the same setup in Warsaw and it's amazing how much cooler it is in a heatwave under a green roof. (Nearby green spaces are generally not a problem - between parks and a steady habit of planting trees in green strips between sidewalk and road, Warsaw is 40% greenery by surface.)
posted by I claim sanctuary at 6:48 AM on February 3 [6 favorites]

This thread is a great find for a weekend AM. Thanks @chariot…
posted by drowsy at 7:10 AM on February 3

I also thought this was about bees commuting... on adorable little Dutch bikes. So cute!
posted by basalganglia at 8:01 AM on February 3 [2 favorites]

On the one hand, hurray! A nice win for bees and their ecosystems, and pollination/foodchains. On the other, now that I must carry an Epi-Pen at all times in case of stings, am relieved I do not live in Utrecht and that this is not a thing local to my own daily bus commute. Even if chances of stings are low, the stress would be horrendous.
posted by mollymillions at 9:14 AM on February 3