Cemusa: Beautifying Our City

Whose responsibility is the upkeep of the City's new bus shelters? I know the Spanish company Cemusa put them here, winning the right to do so after stuffing a billion or so into Mayor Mike Success-o-Manic City Hall. But what happens after they've been propped up and slapped silly with ads? Is the City supposed to give 'em a hose-down every now and then? Is Cemusa supposed to fly over task forces once a week?

I ask this after sitting recently in a bus shelter on Columbia Street, Brooklyn, waiting (and waiting and waiting) for the B61. The glass walls were filthy. They looked like they hadn't been cleaned in weeks. Pieces of tape remained stuck to some panels where flyers had once been posted. Dirt and debris had fallen on the translucent ceiling.


You can't tell from looking at this armrest (below), but it's loose. I give it another two weeks before it falls off or is ripped off. I knew when I saw these slick pieces of goods go up that they were the products of flashy design, but shoddy craftmanship.


And some more complaints while I'm at it: who decides what goes where on these ugly ad boxes. Here's a window on the side taken up by a piece of white paper that says "MTA." Very informative. Why not put a bus schedule there instead? Wouldn't that be useful?

And when the big panel of a Cemusa shelter isn't taken up by a paid ad for a movie or IKEA or something, why must it be occupied by an ad for Cemusa instructing people where to call to advertise? I'm sure if a business really wants to paste its ads on a Cemusa shelter, they'll know who to call. They're figure it out. In the meantime, can't the space be used in a less repulsive way? Just a thought.