Sunday, May 30, 2010

"Great" design idea for Cemusa bus shelters


"A lot of glass to break, with a glass roof too...which provides no shade from the blistering sun.

This one is located at 39th Ave. and Union St. in downtown Flushing.

The previous bus shelter designs were better and stronger too.

Then why did NYC insist on replacing them?

Did some official owe a friend at "Cemusa" a favor...perhaps in return for a hefty campaign contribution?" - The Flushing Phantom

32 comments:

Unknown said...

When I complained to an MTA rep at a community board 5 meeting he told me they are meant for rain protection.

They are useless! Too hot in the summer and the seats are too cold in the winter. There are so many better designs. What a

D. Truth said...

http://www.cemusany.com/web/en/portada2.aspx?id=102

http://www.cemusany.com/web/en/indexnyc.aspx

They use the word "vibrant" so they must be OK.

Anonymous said...

http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menu
item.c0935b9a57bb4ef3daf2f1c701c789a0/index.jsp?pageID=mayor_press_release&catID=1194&doc_name
=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nyc.gov%2Fhtml%2Fom%2Fhtml%2F2006a%2Fpr157-06.html&cc=unused1978&rc=1194&ndi=1

Lino said...

You are just noticing these?! They have been installing them here in Manhattan for 3-4 years.

That is the Q13 stop and I was in that line Thursday afternoon, didn't see any broken glass then..do agree that those shelters definitely "new" New York, they wouldn't have lasted a few weeks back in the crack-graffiti era.

I. M. Floored said...

Lino---short for linoleum. Needs to get laid!

Kevin Walsh said...

A lot of those along Little Neck Parkway will become 'homeless shelters' when the Q79 is discontinued in June.

www.forgotten-ny.com

Anonymous said...

No jerk-wad.

I've noticed...just pointing this graphic example out.

Hey "Lino"...ever pull your penis out of your ass long enough to notice anything else outside of your sequestered little cyber-world?

Queens Crapper said...

I forgot to mention that this was sent in by a reader.

GL said...

I could be wrong, but one of these snazzy bus shelters cracked during the snow storm we had earlier this year. I looked at the glass and it didn't look like someone smashed it but rather that it shattered to hundreds of tiny pieces.

I agree that they are great to keep warm during the summer. I'd rather stand under the sun than be under one of those shelters.

Lino said...

Another credit to his borough opines;

" Anonymous said...
No jerk-wad.
I've noticed...just pointing this graphic example out.
Hey "Lino"...ever pull your penis out of your ass long enough to notice anything else outside of your sequestered little cyber-world?"

See, here is one good reason why Queens has the rep that it has.

Still, I am glad you at least figured out the "digital camera thing".

As for the shelters, they are somewhat better than the wrecks they replace. The old ones dated to 1976, many had leaks that ruined the minimal lighting and dripped on you during a storm..and some time after. They only offered shelter on two sides, none had seating until the last few years when they doubled them up for the articulated buses here in the city.

Given what often sits/sleeps there..I'll stand.

BTW: ol' mook here's something for you viewing pleasure:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQb6mXwZJFE

Queens Crapper said...

"See, here is one good reason why Queens has the rep that it has."

What rep is that? Please tell us, oh vaunted Manhattanite, what your kind thinks of us.

I don't see the point in replacing perfectly good shelters with these. Maybe when they are due for replacement it makes sense to do it, but taking ones out that were just installed a few months ago and putting these in is really kinda dumb.

Anonymous said...

I guess the Korean real estate ad was supposed to upset us.

Keep trying, Lino.

Anonymous said...

I've seen fewer of these new ones broken than the old ones, which were busted all the time. I think the glass IS stronger.

Anyway, don't complain to the MTA because they have nothing to do with it...bus stops are maintained by the DOT.

The new ones are part of the street furniture deal the city made with CEMUSA, which includes bus shelters and newsstands. In theory, CEMUSA paid the city around $1 billion up front and it's up to CEMUSA to make their money back by selling ads on them. No idea if it's actually working out this way, but I do think they look nicer than the old ones, even if they're just as useless.

Queens Crapper said...

"I've seen fewer of these new ones broken than the old ones, which were busted all the time. I think the glass IS stronger."

Or maybe Cemusa is faster at replacing them than the DOT. What happens when the contract runs out?

Lino said...

"Or maybe Cemusa is faster at replacing them than the DOT. What happens when the contract runs out?"

The glass is plainly thicker and better supported than the older units, especially on the base line.

"What rep is that? Please tell us, oh vaunted Manhattanite, what your kind thinks of us."

Q-C when people write "jerk-wad" -and such it doesn't credit your blog. That shouldn't need to be said.


These new shelter are part of the City's new street furniture program which also includes new, news stands and lamp posts.

BTW: The shelter pictured there didn't even exist till a few months ago. The City widened that sidewalk about 3-4 years ago for bus passengers and pedestrians..you know, those annoying things that get in the way of cars.

Queens Crapper said...

"Q-C when people write "jerk-wad" -and such it doesn't credit your blog. That shouldn't need to be said."

No, what needs to be explained is your comment about the "rep" of Queens.

If someone is hell bent on destroying a bus shelter, they will do it, as evidenced by the photo submitted.

Comment about cars was unnecessary, but typical of you. Try staying on topic. If the shelter was recently put in and is already damaged, then that says a lot about their durability.

Lino said...

"If someone is hell bent on destroying a bus shelter, they will do it, as evidenced by the photo submitted."

That area is not "rough" -it is more likely that a garbage truck backed up onto the sidewalk and broke that glass. I have seen the private haulers do that both there (late night) and here in the city where they bust traffic lights, mail boxes and knock off fire hydrants.

"No, what needs to be explained is your comment about the "rep" of Queens."

All that I can say is, read some of the remarks here....really.

I like Queens, if I had to leave NYC I'd choose Forest Hills on QBL near Continental it has that post war affable affluence and as-yet, not too much of the hardened glitz that my area in Manhattan has.

As for my remarks re "rep" there is a lot of bitterness among older white residents there, I have had several shouting arguments in our restaurants when people try to fill me with their ill-informed conservative crap and thinly veiled bigotry.

Whenever a heinous crime is reported here there are cries for all sorts of "torture" instead of punishment prescribed by a civilized society. I realize this is mostly venting, but I actually meet people who "think" this way.

I have to go to a ceremony at the Intrepid this morning so this is the last I'll say about any of this..but when you read some of the rabid commenters here, think of how they reflect on both your blog and borough.

Lino

Anonymous said...


As for my remarks re "rep" there is a lot of bitterness among older white residents there, I have had several shouting arguments in our restaurants when people try to fill me with their ill-informed conservative crap and thinly veiled bigotry.


Blacks make as much as whites do in Queens. Why do you still feel the need to librage? If a liberal can't be happy in Queens then there is no way they can be happy anywhere else.

Anonymous said...

"Lino" lad...Comin' back for more?

Then spread your cheeks and get down on the floor..."Lino"-leum of course!

(LOL)!

This guy ain't a jerk wad....he's impotent and comes in lame comments instead!

(LOL...again).

Queens Crapper said...

"if I had to leave NYC I'd choose Forest Hills on QBL near Continental it has that post war affable affluence and as-yet, not too much of the hardened glitz that my area in Manhattan has."

Well news flash, son - Forest Hills and all of Queens is actually in NYC, so you wouldn't have to leave! And if you're talking south of QB, then that's lily white! I guess the Archie Bunker bigot in you is showing.

"As for my remarks re "rep" there is a lot of bitterness among older white residents there, I have had several shouting arguments in our restaurants when people try to fill me with their ill-informed conservative crap and thinly veiled bigotry."

Older white people from Queens go to your restaurant and argue politics with you? And that's what you base your view of Queens on? Plus this blog?

Holy shit. Do you need to get out more.

"Whenever a heinous crime is reported here there are cries for all sorts of "torture" instead of punishment prescribed by a civilized society. I realize this is mostly venting, but I actually meet people who "think" this way."

And only older whites from Queens say these things? Really? Because I have heard that from many different races. In fact that type of punishment actually happens more often in areas of the world where non-whites hail from.

"I have to go to a ceremony at the Intrepid this morning so this is the last I'll say about any of this.."

I wouldn't do that...you might run into people who listen to WABC radio there and get into an intellectual argument there.

Anonymous said...

Enough of this bickering. What I'd like to know is who is deriving financial benefit from the contract and if there are ties to someone in the Bloomturd administration or city council.

Detective McNutty said...

Don't stop the arguing, it reveals the hypocrisy and narrow views of Lino. He seems to think everyone who disagrees with him on this blog is white, old and a member of the tea party. Maybe that atheist fellow can raise his hand but not everyone in Queens, fits Lino's stereotype. I hope he doesn't take after another liberal hero(Jesse Jackson) and spit in his customer's food.

Queens Crapper said...

Hey I'll cop to being white, but I am still well under 40 and not a tea party-goer.

Let him think what he wants. Obviously he saw too many Norman Lear sitcoms in his youth.

Anonymous said...

lino:

paying your bicycle delivery boys under minimum wage and off the books is a subtle form of racism/slavery...so don't think you aren't a racist hypocrite you confused manhattan elitist

do you have any IDEA how pompous you are? typical laughable liberal confusion...do as i say not as i do

excuse me, i won't say more on this, i must attend tea with the queen of england

p.s. don't ever bring up your "hardened glitz" again...disgusting

Lino said...

"Older white people from Queens go to your restaurant and argue politics with you? And that's what you base your view of Queens on? Plus this blog?"

"Holy shit. Do you need to get out mo"

-That and, oh twenty years of business out there.

"And only older whites from Queens say these things? Really? Because I have heard that from many different races. In fact that type of punishment actually happens more often in areas of the world where non-whites hail from"

Quite true, but I don't expect to hear/read these remarks in a civilized democracy.

'...you might run into people who listen to WABC radio there and get into an intellectual argument there."

-You won't get an "intellectual argument" from most of those listeners. What you get is bellicose blabbering that gets louder and more angry when you confront their propagandized views with contradicting information.

Anyway, It was good to see all those old duffers still around on the ships yesterday, they are going at an accelerating rate now and it is mostly Vietnam and later vets now.


"Hey I'll cop to being white, but I am still well under 40 and not a tea party-goer."

-Well that's to your credit.

"Let him think what he wants. Obviously he saw too many Norman Lear sitcoms in his youth."

-Never cared for sitcoms..call me humorless.

My "Rep" comment was based on actual experience and meant to say that the remarks here reinforce said rep.

Time is washing away all of the precepts and those that hold them. Younger people from all races and locations are moving to Queens, few/none of them will have seen Lear's stuff.

Lino

Anonymous said...

Lino and Babs sitting in a tree
p-i-s-s-i-n-g!

Anonymous said...

Good idea, poor design and materials. Why bother - its an eyesore already!

Anonymous said...

"Younger people from all races and locations are moving to Queens, few/none of them will have seen Lear's stuff."

Except that his reruns are on cable just about 24/7.

Anonymous said...

"You won't get an "intellectual argument" from most of those listeners. What you get is bellicose blabbering that gets louder and more angry when you confront their propagandized views with contradicting information."

Sounds like what happens when you talk to a liberal about bus shelters.

georgetheatheist said...

Hi-ho Steverino, I-I-I'm Lino Hathaway and I-I-I live in Forest Hills...ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha...on QBL...ah-ha-ha....neeeeer Continental....ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.

Anonymous said...

Here's some dirt on the CEMUSA shelters, and who's profiting..

New York Cracks Down On Illegal Outdoor Ads
by Erik Sass, Monday, September 11, 2006,

New York City is cracking down on what is considered illegal outdoor advertising, including posters plastering construction sites. While the city is on firm legal ground, some observers say the "anti-clutter initiative" is actually aimed at squashing signage that competes with the municipal street furniture contracts, which the city recently awarded to a small foreign firm. That award is now the subject of several lawsuits.


The city has a clear stake in enforcing the "anti-clutter" initiative, since news organizations estimate it stands to lose $25 million a year in revenue--totaling $500 million over a 20-year span, the usual term of a contract.

The move to enforce Local Law 31, an anti-clutter measure passed in 2005, could also mean dismantling about one-half of the billboards in New York--with an exemption for a small area around Times Square, critics say. But the law also has sweeping implications for unofficial poster advertising, saying it's "unlawful to erect, maintain, attach, affix, paint on, or in any other manner represent on a building or premises any sign that is under the control of an unregistered outdoor advertising company."

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer says advertising "is an important business component to the city," but opposes "an illegal market where the city gets no benefit."

In September 2005, the city granted an outdoor street furniture contract to Cemusa, a Spanish company, which could generate up to $1 billion in revenue over its 20-year span. Cemusa is charged with upgrading and maintaining 3,300 bus shelters and 330 newsstands, as well as installing 20 public toilets. These ad platforms are in competition with nearby scaffolding and other popular poster venues. By clearing adjacent spaces of ads, the city could drive up rates for the officially sanctioned surfaces.

The Cemusa contract has been the subject of considerable controversy. The city's independent newsstand operators brought an unsuccessful lawsuit aiming to stop the deal because it would deprive them of ad revenue from their newsstands. Under the new system, Cemusa would own all 330 newsstands, and the company and the city would split ad revenue.

Mayor Bloomberg and Stringer are putting pressure on the New York City Department of Buildings to remove signs in places as far away as the Long Island Expressway. Stringer also described advertising on construction scaffolds as a "blight" and "corporate graffiti," saying the city has had "enough illegal black market advertising."

Meanwhile, two competing bidders--Clear Channel Outdoor and JCDecaux--are suing the city because they dispute the bidding process. Lawyers for the two companies say Cemusa got the contract because of a last-minute change in the rules of the bidding process; city officials encouraged Cemusa to tender a higher bid.

Calling Cemusa "an inexperienced undercapitalized foreign company," JCDecaux's lawyers note that according to the city's own officials, JCDecaux received the highest ratings for maintenance and service. It also had the highest "guaranteed" bid, until the Cemusa re-bid. Attorneys for New York City dispute this version of events. Opening hearings for the case began at the State Supreme Court in Manhattan on August 24. Local Law 31 went into effect on August 25.

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/index.cfm?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=47903

Anonymous said...

WOW! Thank you. I knew that there was more to this story than meets the eye. Good research. Well done!