The new bus shelters at Kiel's main railway station are turning green

They are a real eye-catcher and also offer better weather protection, more accessibility and green roofs: Ströer, in cooperation with the civil engineering department of the state capital of Kiel, is replacing all the bus shelters at the bus stops at the main station this year and next.

After the advertising pillars, the bus shelters are now also being given a green roof to counteract the sealing of the city center. A total of 165 planted fields will create an area of 577 square meters - the size of more than two tennis courts. The fields will be planted with up to twelve different sedum species, such as Lewisia. Sedum only needs a little rainwater and nutrients - so they do not require any additional care. The plants bloom from May to October in changing colors; outside the flowering season, sedum is evergreen. The green bus shelters thus become biological islands and micro-habitats for insects and plants in the middle of the city. Another advantage of sedum species is that their thick, fleshy leaves act as water reservoirs. The evaporative cooling reduces hotspots where a lot of heat is generated by heating concrete.

Lord Mayor Ulf Kämpfer: "There are always rainy days in Kiel. How good it is when all those waiting for the bus can take shelter. In addition, the planted roofs make our city even greener, more insect-friendly and absorb water during heavy rainfall events. The new bus shelters are therefore stylish, climate-friendly, increase the attractiveness of public transport and thus form another very attractive building block on the way to more climate protection and the mobility transition."

_{Pictures: Mayor Ulf Kämpfer presented the new green waiting shelter at the main station to the public together with Paul Lässig (Ströer Regional Manager North) and Iris Petersen (Ströer Branch Manager Schleswig-Holstein).}

"The greening of bus shelters and advertising pillars is an important building block in the further development of public infrastructure. The roofs of bus shelters may only be small green islands - but in our city centers, some of which are heavily sealed, it is important to use every opportunity for more greenery. Greening concepts are therefore part of our municipal cooperation. With our digital city media, we are already enabling sustainable citizen communication," says Alexander Stotz, CEO of Ströer Media Deutschland GmbH.

The first new passenger shelters are already in place at bus platform D3 directly in front of Sophienhof. The replacement of 18 more is planned for the coming year. The new "Zirkon Pro" model from Ströer will be used. The roof depth of 2.50 meters was specially designed for the state capital to provide as much roof and shelter space as possible. The advantage of the modular design is that the size can be adapted to the conditions. The new model is also equipped with rear walls for better weather protection. As no side walls or supporting pillars are required at the front, the bus shelters are also barrier-free. In addition to the existing benches, there will also be benches to lean against and better lighting.