Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority (LANTA) says it has rolled out a first-in-the-nation SolStop Bench in Bethlehem, Penn.
The new transit amenity features a two-seat bench, touchless activation of a solar light and permanent schedule signage for routes serving the location.
A product of Michigan-based Brasco, International, SolStop Bench “allows us to provide comfort and added safety where space doesn’t permit a more traditional bus shelter, said LANTA Executive Director Owen P. O’Neil.
O’Neil was joined at a brief ribbon-cutting event by Bethlehem City Councilwoman Olga Negron and Angelina Cardona, whose Bodega La Familia fronts the bench.
“A lot of factors have to come together to make this project come to fruition. You need to have the right location, the right product, support of the municipality and support of the adjacent property owner,” O’Neil said. “We are here today, because we have found one of those unicorn moments when all those factors have come together.”
Cardona thanked LANTA for choosing her location for the first SolStop. In turn, LANTA’s AJ Jordan, manager of planning & scheduling, thanked Cardona for her advocacy in “making SolStop Bench a reality” in the Lehigh Valley. Before COVID-19 ridership reductions, the bus stop served some 14,000 passengers yearly.
Jordan also said LANTA is installing this new concept “as a pilot project and will assess its performance over the coming months. If the product is well received LANTA will continue to look for suitable locations throughout its service area in Lehigh and Northampton Counties.”
In a statement Brasco, International added, “Unlike the traditional SolStop which has a push button activated sensor, the motion activated sensor eliminates the need for users to physically touch any part of this public fixture. Brasco’s goal for the Touchless SolStop is to help stop the spread of virus-causing germs like COVID-19 at bus stop locations, while still providing innovative solar lighting solutions to the public.”
