$1M bus stop -> WTF?!

[JEDI]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local...e5c47e-917c-11e2-9abd-e4c5c9dc5e90_story.html

it has electronic signs, and Embedded in the floor are heating elements intended to ward off the cold weather and keep winter-weary feet cozy.

$575,000 for construction and fabrication
$440,000 for construction management and inspections
WTF?!?!


Costs of a regular bus stop: $5k
http://www.theparkcatalog.com/smokingbus-shelters/flat-roof-2-opening-smokingbus-shelter/374-1002

 

[bignateyk]

But the new one looks hip and trendy.

 

[Broheim]

I could sure as fuck build that for a lot less than $1m ...

sounds to me like some politician's brother owned the construction company.

 

[Vdubchaos]

If you were in position where you can get a shit load of money for yourself (aka Lobbying) and "hook up" some company/or a friend with a cool little contract.....and it's ALL legal, wouldn't YOU do it?

Welcome to the CORE of America's problems.

My resolution is pretty simple.

a) lobbying aka Bribery should be illegal
b) go thru ALL the politicians records/bank statements past 30-40 years. See how lobbying effected their decisions/laws.
c) Find companies that bought contracts/bribed and charge them SHIT LOAD of money (something significant not these pesky fines...)
d) charge them with treason and put them away for good
e) as politicians see what happens to people that do this sort of shit....they won't do it again.

But I'm just a peasant....

I will warn you though. WHOLE lot of people WILL lose jobs and America in general would have to get a good taste of what reality actually is.

NO ONE wants that (trust me on that).

 

[waggy]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local...e5c47e-917c-11e2-9abd-e4c5c9dc5e90_story.html

it has electronic signs, and Embedded in the floor are heating elements intended to ward off the cold weather and keep winter-weary feet cozy.

$575,000 for construction and fabrication
$440,000 for construction management and inspections
WTF?!?!


Costs of a regular bus stop: $5k
http://www.theparkcatalog.com/smokingbus-shelters/flat-roof-2-opening-smokingbus-shelter/374-1002

plus the cheaper one is far better. At least it keeps the wind and rain off you. the expensive one looks nice but is useless.

 

[Mixolydian]

Lol wtf...

 

[BUTCH1]

If you were in position where you can get a shit load of money for yourself (aka Lobbying) and "hook up" some company/or a friend with a cool little contract.....and it's ALL legal, wouldn't YOU do it?

Welcome to the CORE of America's problems.

My resolution is pretty simple.

a) lobbying aka Bribery should be illegal
b) go thru ALL the politicians records/bank statements past 30-40 years. See how lobbying effected their decisions/laws etc.
c) charge them with treason and put them away for good
d) as politicians see what happens to people that do this sort of shit....they won't do it again.

But I'm just a peasant....

Don't forget PAC's (political action committees), yet another form of legal corruption. What's sickening is that those who once held high positions in DC often get a high-paying job as lobbyist when the retire from gov. service..

 

[iamwiz82]

If you were in position where you can get a shit load of money for yourself (aka Lobbying) and "hook up" some company/or a friend with a cool little contract.....and it's ALL legal, wouldn't YOU do it?

Welcome to the CORE of America's problems.

My resolution is pretty simple.

a) lobbying aka Bribery should be illegal
b) go thru ALL the politicians records/bank statements past 30-40 years. See how lobbying effected their decisions/laws.
c) Find companies that bought contracts/bribed and charge them SHIT LOAD of money (something significant not these pesky fines...)
d) charge them with treason and put them away for good
e) as politicians see what happens to people that do this sort of shit....they won't do it again.

But I'm just a peasant....

I will warn you though. WHOLE lot of people WILL lose jobs and America in general would have to get a good taste of what reality actually is.

NO ONE wants that (trust me on that).

The bus and the bus stop should be privatized.

 

[Krazy4Real]

LOL! Such a stupid waste of money.

 

[Aharami]

that is ridiculous! and it doesn't even provide complete protection from rain and snow as it has wide open sections along the back and sides

 

[Baked]

The 1st one is all glass, so perfect for target practice with my rocks. The 2nd one is plastic, so the rocks will bounce back. Skip. Who the fuck approves these shitty projects?

 

[Cal166]

Will be a new shelter for homeless people during the cold nights and winter.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Don't forget PAC's (political action committees), yet another form of legal corruption. What's sickening is that those who once held high positions in DC often get a high-paying job as lobbyist when the retire from gov. service..

Ohh there is a LONG list.

First, let's get #1 issue out of the way before tackling others....hehe

 

[Possessed Freak]

My resolution is pretty retarded.

Make something illegal, sure. Fine or incarcerate based on something that WAS legal and now is illegal... retarded.

 

[Vdubchaos]

The bus and the bus stop should be privatized.

So that they can lobby politicians to pay for their shit?

:biggrin:

No thanks

 

[SpatiallyAware]

I could sure as fuck build that for a lot less than $1m ...

sounds to me like some politician's brother owned the construction company.

Yup, guaranteed.

 

[Pardus]

That thing is ridiculous. It has a glass roof - no protection from the hot sun - and no walls to protect from wind or driving rain or snow. There is no way to defend the higher cost of a first-of-a kind shelter when there are plenty of off-the-shelf designs already available. I live in Arlington and am truly embarrassed by this. This is all the more reason to kill those silly trolley cars altogether. They have already shown that they cannot control costs. The trolley system will feature this kind of thing multiplied many times over.

They could have just bought 24 off-the-shelf bus shelters and installed them for a lot less. Here is an example of a fully functional one:

Electronic signs and heating elements are worthless when they break down.

 

[Slew Foot]

I could sure as fuck build that for a lot less than $1m ...

sounds to me like some politician's brother owned the construction company.

yup

 

[Red Storm]

“Is this made of gold?” asked commuter Yohannes Kaleab, examining the concrete-and-stainless-steel bench that is part of the new, seven-figure bus shelter.

At least it's nice to know that the citizens there are just as dumbfounded as we are.

 

[HendrixFan]

They could have just bought 24 off-the-shelf bus shelters and installed them for a lot less. Here is an example of a fully functional one:

Electronic signs and heating elements are worthless when they break down.

But when they break down they need to be repaired, which then becomes a revenue stream for someone lucky enough to have that contract. That is even better (for them) than the bloated building contract.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

They could have just bought 24 off-the-shelf bus shelters and installed them for a lot less. Here is an example of a fully functional one:

Electronic signs and heating elements are worthless when they break down.

you get to pay more $ to overpriced contractors to keep everything working

 

[Cal166]

So that they can lobby politicians to pay for their shit?

:biggrin:

No thanks

The new bus stops in NYC are all paid by a private advertisement company. They paid the city to have them built and the ad company puts their ads up.

 

[Wyndru]

I bet even the 5K one you posted in the OP would still cost most municipalities much, much more than that. I'm sure it will end up coming in around the 50k mark to actually have it installed after all of the red tape and inside negotiation (favors) are finished with.

Oh, and don't forget the staff of 20 workers installing it, half of them standing around watching the other half work.

 

[Gunbuster]

"Embedded in the floor are heating elements intended to ward off the cold weather and keep winter-weary feet cozy."

Electric elements? I wonder how much electricity they are blasting through that thing to keep it warm. Tack on at least a few hundred in utility's a month too during the winter...

 

[Sho'Nuff]

But the new one looks hip and trendy.

But I don't see an apple sign anywhere. Hmmmm.