Last year, during the extensive summer repair of the Svornost class, the bus stops in both directions were also completely changed. These were sunk into the bays with a concrete cover and an access edge with a barrier-free curb. At both bus stops, the existing shelters were replaced with new ones, and the stop in the direction of the center was supplemented with a new intelligent marker. The bus stops on Náměstí Hrdinů marked I and H on Legionářská Street have also undergone modifications. “We do several such larger events every year. We usually try to coordinate them with other construction works in the given locality in order to limit traffic as little as possible,” said Deputy Mayor for Transport Miroslava Ferancová.
One such example is the planned major reconstruction of the intersection Schweitzerova X Velkomoravská near the Lidl store. This event, which includes not only surface repairs and new traffic lights, will be followed by the repair of the road in Schweitzerova street in the section from Velkomoravská to Zikova. “Part of this event will also be the renovation of the Povel škola bus stops, in both directions, when the existing bays made of granite cubes will be replaced by concrete slabs with barrier-free treatment. An intelligent marker will then be added in the direction from the center,” the deputy explained.
Coordination with other construction works is also planned in Okružní Street, which will be closed for a quarter of a year (from the beginning of April to the end of June) for road repairs. The city will build two brand new bus stops here, complete with intelligent markers. This year, the Foerstrova – pošta bus stop, in the direction of Hlavní nádraží, will also receive repairs. “A platform will be paved here, and since it is a busy route, a new intelligent marker will be added to increase the comfort of passengers,” said Marek Černý, head of the department of transport and territorial development. According to him, the bus stop Finanční úřad, direction Lazce, will also be reconstructed, where a new shelter and an intelligent marker will be added. In addition to the city, the Road Administration of the Olomouc Region will also participate financially in this repair.
There are approximately 400 bus stops in the territory of the city of Olomouc, of which more than 80 percent are bus stops. Already almost a quarter of all stops are equipped with intelligent markers that not only show the actual arrival time of the nearest train (i.e., unlike paper timetables, they can immediately react to possible delays and inform passengers about it), but also inform about low-floor trains or provide voice information the blind. This system was launched in Olomouc in 2007.
Approximately one third of public transport stops are equipped with shelters, and at least two thirds of them have benches. “We often get questions from citizens as to why shelters or benches are missing somewhere. This is usually because the width parameters with regard to the placement of existing utility networks do not allow their placement,” Černý specified. Nevertheless – if citizens have a suggestion that there could be a bench or shelter somewhere, it is always best to contact the relevant committee of the city district, which will process these suggestions and communicate about them with the relevant department of the municipality.
