‘It Was Like an Oven’: Some Bus Shelters Actually Make Heat Even Worse, Study Finds

Imagine taking the bus on a hot summer day. The Sun is beating down strongly, so you hurry to the bus shelter. After all, the structure’s shade should lessen the heat stress. New research, however, shows that this isn’t always the case. In fact, sometimes it makes an already unpleasant situation even worse. Researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston measured heat stress at bus stops in Houston between July 20 and August 7, 2023. As detailed in a study published earlier this year in the journal Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, they found that, on average, trees reduced heat stress by the same amount as the best bus shelter design—and that under certain conditions, one bus shelter actually made heat stress worse. Their findings have direct implications for public health, and specifically for how experts should design future bus stops. “Heat stress is a combination of factors, not just the temperature you see on your phone’s weath ... Read full article.