Skip to Content
Streetsblog California home
Streetsblog California home
Log In
Bus Stops

One of the Nation’s ‘Sorriest’ Bus Stops Gets Upgrade

One of the nation's worst bus stops has gotten a slight upgrade after reaching the Elite Eight in Streetsblog's annual "Sorriest Bus Stops in America" contest.

This stunningly bad bus stop in Suffolk County — an eastern and largely affluent suburb of New York City — has been spruced up with a level concrete platform to replace the worn-out patch of mud and dirt that previously existed at the well-used stop, local government staff informs us.

Its inclusion on our competition caught the attention of county officials, who made a special effort to make it less sorry. Here is the result.

new bus stop
false

This still-sorry bus stop is not going to win any design competitions. But Jonathan Keyes, an urban planner with Suffolk County who sent us the above photo, wrote:

We’ve shifted the stop further south so that buses will stop at an improved location closer to the Long Island Women’s Empowerment Network/Family Service League. We also did some in-house engineering to regrade the site and utilized on-call contractors to lay the concrete pad. ... We recognize, of course, that this stop is still far from perfect; unfortunately, for instance, there was no budget at this time for a shelter, and it is still a pad that is unconnected to a larger pedestrian network and nearby destinations.

But he says Crooked Hill Road in the town of Islip is due for a major capital upgrade and is scheduled to receive sidewalks in the next few years so this is just an interim solution. Suffolk County manages a suburban transit system with 2,729 stops, Keyes says, and operating costs have been rising faster than state support for transit. (Where have we heard that before — oh, everywhere.)

This is not the first bus stop that received an upgrade after being shamed nationwide by our annual contest. Our runner-up from 2016, in Kansas City, received a complete overhaul, that took it from entirely sorry to fully respectable in 2017. The stop serves Kauffman Stadium, where the Kansas City Royals play.

KC_beforeandafter
false

The goal isn't really to fix individual bus stops, but to get local officials and the public thinking about these forgotten spaces before they are held up for national shame.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog California

Wednesday’s Headlines

A larger than usual headlines stack as we careen towards the 4th of July.

July 2, 2025

Inner Richmond Parents Fed Up with SFMTA Watering Down Safety

Mother of a child hit by a driver furious with city excuses for not taking daylighting and other safety measures seriously.

July 2, 2025

Governor Signs Major Changes to CEQA to Cheers from YIMBYs, Jeers from Environmental Groups

Newsom fast tracked changes to CEQA to fast track development and housing. But what do the changes to the law actually do?

July 1, 2025

Santa Monica and West Hollywood Bus Lane/Stop Enforcement Programs Start Today

Don't block the bus! Parking in a bus lane or at a bus stop will result in a $293 ticket.

July 1, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines

Gov Signs CEQA Bill to Increase Housing, Higher Fees on Parking and Tolls, Opposition to Road Widenings, ICE

July 1, 2025
See all posts