ROANOKE, Va. – You could drive past this bus stop a hundred times and never notice it.
“When this is your bus stop, you are given the message that you don’t matter,” Bus Riders of Roanoke Advocacy Group (BRRAG) President Laura Hartman said.
It’s right across the street from Sheetz on Orange Avenue, and although its somewhat hidden — Hartman tells us it’s one of the busiest stops.
“It is in the top 5% of all the bus stops used in the system. We have over 800 bus stops in our system, so for this one to be in the top 5% means it gets pretty heavy usage,” she said.
It’s been a point of contention for some Roanoke bus riders, so we went along with Hartman to check it out.
They’ve dubbed it “Roanoke’s Sorriest Bus Stop,” and it’s easy to see why.
There’s not much to see. There’s not even a sidewalk, just dirt and gravel.
Another concern is its proximity to the road. You’re right along heavy, oncoming traffic while you wait.
It’s also pretty difficult to reach the stop, and there’s trash and glass littering the whole area.
“I think that it’s important that people who ride the buses be treated with dignity. We need a dignified place to wait,” Hartman said.
But Monday, Roanoke City Council approved some much-needed changes.
They approved a bus shelter for the stop.
Hartman is excited for the addition, but tells us it’s just step one.
“It’s probably not enough, no. To truly improve this stop, we would also need a sidewalk with ramps and curb cuts, we would need a crosswalk,” she said.
There’s no timeline for the new shelter as of yet.