Beyond la Sombrita: Small Bus Stop Shelter Designs in Greater LA.
On May 18th, 2023, LADOT held a grandiose unveiling ceremony for a new bus shelter design, dubbed La Sombrita. It had a large perforated metal sheet, a solar panel on top, and an LED light. It was widely ridiculed across the internet for its underwhelming appearance compared with the pomp and circumstance of the unveiling, and with the quoted cost and effort that went into its design. Many compared it unfavorably to conventional bus shelters.
However, la Sombrita was not meant to replace conventional bus shelters: it was meant to be a comfort enhancement that could be installed anywhere, without requiring additional work on the surrounding sidewalk, streetlights, or electrical utilities. It's a product of bureaucratic dysfunction, but not bad as such, nor is it entirely novel. It's only the latest in a long series of strange designs for small bus stop shelters. Many municipalities have designed, installed, and seemingly abandoned dozens of bus stop amenities. In this post, let's look at these and perhaps evaluate their various merits.