Solar-powered bicycle parking lots, bus stop shelters in Minsk

Plans have been made to install solar-powered bicycle parking facilities and bus stop shelters in Minsk, OOO Glavenergo Marketing Director Vladimir Gorbunov told BelTA.

In 2015 Minsk will get 150 bicycle parking lots with 250-watt solar modules. The self-powered multipurpose parking facilities fitted with Wi-Fi Internet access will also be used to charge mobile phones, tablets, and laptops.

The Minsk authorities also plan to install solar-powered bus stop shelters in the streets of the city. The street lights near such bus stops will use solar energy. The generated power will be enough to broadcast commercials on special screens at the bus stops.

Head of the Minsk Transport and Communications enterprise Valery Shkuratov is also concerned with making the bus stop shelters more comfortable. The relevant measure has been included into the Minsk City Hall’s action plan designed to improve the quality of public transport services in 2015-2050. The action plan will be discussed in the near future.

The Minsk city administration plans to equip the new bus stop shelters with video surveillance systems, cash machines, self-service terminals, and touch panels providing information about the operation of the mass transit system. The new shelters are most likely to be installed at the bus stops with heavy passenger traffic.