In a national competition sponsored by the city of Madison to design new bus shelters for State Street, nine bus shelter models are on display in an effort to receive public feedback on the designs.
A 14-member jury appointed by the City Council chose the five finalists who designed the models, which are displayed in the lobby of the Madison Municipal Building until March 13. A public reception to officially unveil the models will be held March 4 from 4 to 6:30 p.m.
City of Madison principle planner Bill Fruhling said the jury will decide on one or more designs after hearing presentations from the designers March 14, and the jury will then work with the designer to possibly make changes before the designs are submitted to the City Council for construction approval.
“They might pick one design to put up on the entire street or several designs to put up,” Fruhling said.
Downtown Coordinating Committee member Paul Haskew said the committee created the competition because they were not satisfied with the proposals submitted by the design firm hired to make suggestions on the furnishings for State Street.
“The designs that were proposed were sort of off the shelf, mundane. We wanted something that created a unique sense for the street,” Haskew said.
Haskew said they didn’t want to choose a generic shelter, since it is a major furnishing that could affect the ambiance of State Street. He also said the committee was pleased with many of the other suggestions on seating, light fixtures and newspaper racks offered by the design firm.
The bus shelters are part of the city’s State Street Redesign Project, an estimated $32 million redesign plan that will improve the appearance of State Street.
According to the city’s design concepts and recommendations for the State Street redesign, the current bus shelters are too large and are “visually disruptive.” The recommendations say the new design should create transparent bus shelters that are more artistic and have a “light character.”
The concepts also combine simplicity with an ability to accommodate passengers.
“We hope to pick a shelter design to meet as many of the peoples’ needs as possible,” Downtown Coordinating Committee member Ledell Zellers said, referring to the Madison Metro survey.
Zellers also said not as many people are interested in providing feedback as the city hoped.
Downtown Coordinating Committee member Adam Park said the cost of the shelters hasn’t been determined because it depends on the cost per shelter and how many shelters the city decides to put on State Street.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said he has seen the models and is anxious to hear public feedback on the shelters, which could be on State Street as early as spring 2004.
“I have to admit that [the submitted plans] are very creative and happen to include various designs,” Verveer said.
Verveer also said passengers complain about a lack of safety in the current bus shelters because the brick corners hinder visibility. He said a survey conducted by Madison Metro showed riders would like to have shelters that protect them from the elements but are not as enclosed.
The design concepts and recommendations also say the furnishings implemented on State Street should fit the timeless, simple streetscape the redesign is hoping to achieve.
According to the design concepts and recommendations, the city hopes the redesign will enhance the street’s physical appearance without hampering its ability to host a range of activities. The design also hopes to capture the essence of the street and achieve timelessness through the use of durable, low-maintenance materials for the street’s furnishings.
