Perth Voice Interactive

SOME of Stirling’s concrete bus shelters look like leftovers from Soviet Russia and need upgrading, says Cr David Michael.

He wants the council to take a leaf out of neighbouring Vincent’s hipster book and upgrade bus stops so they’re modern and offer protection from the elements.

“There are 17 types of bus stops in Stirling and many of them are a bit dodgy looking,” he says.

“They remind me of some of the infrastructure I saw on a recent trip to Russia.

“We have been looking at this since 2008 but unfortunately an on-running dispute with the public transport authority has meant the process has ground to a halt and we have missed out on some potential funding that was available.”

Various councils and the PTA have been at loggerheads for years over who pays for new bus shelters and upgrades, but the Voice understands the WA local government association and the PTA have reached an agreement, which will be unveiled by WA transport minister Dean Nalder this week.

The Voice contacted WALGA president Troy Pickard for comment, but he didn’t want to steal Mr Nalder’s thunder.

“The minister for transport has postponed the announcement of the bus shelter infrastructure agreement until tomorrow,” WALGA media manager Annaliese Battista said.

“Therefore, our president is not in a position to offer comment about the agreement prior to your deadline.”

In light of the pending agreement, Stirling voted to develop a plan to increase the quality and number of bus shelters in the city and agree on a standard design.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK