Bee-Friendly Bus Stops Are Coming To Leicester

The Living Roofs, designed and implemented by Out of Home Media company Clear Channel, feature a mixture of pollinator-friendly wildflowers and Sedum (succulent plants also known as stonecrop). It is thought that this could help support Britain’s declining bee population.

According to Clear Channel, it will complete all 30 Living Roof shelters by the end of summer 2021. But it’s not just about bee stops. The company also plans to fit bus shelters with solar panels and smart lighting (which adjusts output based on occupancy or daylight availability) to help manage energy use and lower the city’s carbon footprint.

This isn’t the first time that the city of Leicester has taken steps to ensure a healthy bee population. At the start of 2021, 24 different schools and their communities launched Polli:Nation for the Next Generation, a project to make their outdoor areas more appealing to pollinators.

Being in, around, and near to green spaces also has a positive impact on mental well-being, and brightening up city centres with wildflowers and greenery benefits all who live and work there. However, the pandemic has highlighted the lack of environmental equity in the UK (and around the world), showcasing the need for additional access to plants and wildlife.

Leicester could see several major industrial developments in the coming years, something that commentators fear may significantly affect the area’s biodiversity—and Britain’s dwindling healthy green spaces.