London transit eyes possible 'vandalism-proof' shelters in bid to crack down on broken glass

A "vandalism-proof" shelter design could help crack down on the issue of London bus shelters being shattered by vandals.

It comes as new figures from the London Transit Commission (LTC) show more than 300 glass panes were broken at city bus shelters last year, up from around 175 in 2022 and 100 in 2021. 

Roughly 150 have already been broken this year, according to a report tabled during the LTC's monthly meeting on Wednesday,

"There's obviously a number of reasons why that's concerning, ranging from the safety of Londoners and our service users, also it's very expensive to have to constantly be replacing shelters," Stephanie Marentette, LTC's chair, told CBC News.

Each glass pane costs around $500 to replace, while an entirely new shelter clocks in at around $6,000, according to LTC officials. Cleaning and repairing the shelters falls on Outfront Media, the firm LTC contracts for bus shelter advertising. 

Under its current agreement, Outfront is responsible for replacing 120 panels annually – a cap it requested during contract talks last year because of rising vandalism and declining ad revenue.

During Wednesday's meeting, Katie Burns, LTC's director of planning, told commissioners that its shelter contractor was working on a purpose-built, "anti-vandalism" version, with more information expected soon. 

The report notes the "vandalism-proof" design would incorporate an "alternative material" to tempered glass, but no further detail is provided. LTC's shelters are made by Toronto-based Daytech Ltd.

The issue isn't restricted to any particular areas, Marentette said, noting the commission receives reports of damaged bus shelters from all corners of the city.

"There's not really any rhyme or reason to it. I think all it takes is one person or a couple of people who just decide that that's what they're going to do," she said.

The problem has plagued the agency for years.

In July 2018, vandals targeted 15 transit shelters in a weekend vandalism spree, while in the summer of 2020, 25 shelters were damaged over several days. In mid-2021, at least 26 shelters were damaged in the span of a week.

Waiting for a bus downtown on Wednesday, transit rider Doug Bradley told CBC News that he'd personally seen damaged bus shelters several times on his travels.

"They just nicely get them put up, and a week later, you know, they're smashed again," he said.

"Just no regard for personal property or anything, they just go and smash them. It's too bad they couldn't come up with a way, like Plexiglas or something more durable, than the glass itself that they use."

In seeking out glass alternatives, the commission sought advice from other transit authorities, including Calgary Transit, which is piloting an anti-vandalism shelter using Plexiglas.

The LTC report appears to put cold water on that idea, noting concerns that the material is more flammable, prone to discolouration, and vulnerable to vandalism being scratched into its surface.

Kelly Paleczny, LTC's general manager, noted at the meeting that because Plexiglas is more flexible, shelters would need additional support beams to keep the panel secure in the frame – a cost of around $14,000 per shelter, according to the report.

"There really isn't a path forward unless we were to retrofit those shelter frames and then buy replacement product through that vendor. What we're saying is, let's wait and actually have a purpose-built shelter that's built for whatever they recommend," she said.

The report says once a price for the purpose-built, "anti-vandalism" shelter is known, a detailed cost-benefit assessment will be undertaken. Any recommendations will be set out in a report to the commission in 2025, it notes.

It remains to be seen whether similar changes are expected at bus rapid transit shelters, 10 of which are expected to be installed this year. A prototype was installed last month at King and Ontario streets.

The shelters are enclosed in tempered, laminated glass panels, and feature LED lighting, seating, and obelisks with an illuminated LTC logo and advertising case.

Last month, city council awarded roughly $2 million in contracts to Enseicom and J-AAR Excavating to supply and install furniture, lighting, and obelisks for BRT shelters.