America’s Sorriest Bus Stop: Silver Spring vs. Asheville

Today marks the last match of the second round in Streetsblog’s hyper-competitive Sorriest Bus Stop in America tournament.

So far this week, bus stops in Broomfield, Colorado, and Kansas City have staked claims to shame in the Final Four. The victor of today’s match will take on the winner of Boston vs. Henrietta (if you haven’t voted in that one yet, the poll is still open until midnight).

Silver Spring

This afterthought of a waiting area in Silver Spring, Maryland, beat out a sorry bus stop in New Castle, Delaware, in the first round. Submitter Dan Reed says:

This one is on a busy state highway in Silver Spring, Maryland, immediately north of Washington, DC.

Metrobus (which serves this stop) should get props for having great service – buses come every few minutes during rush hour, and service runs 22 hours a day, 7 days a week. That is, if you can actually get to this bus stop, and we’ve got the Maryland State Highway Administration to blame for it. There are no sidewalks leading to it. It’s at an intersection, but there’s no crosswalk and no stoplight. And, of course, there’s a steep hill next to it. I’ve lived here my entire life and I’ve only ever seen one person waiting for the bus here. I’m pretty sure they were dropped from a plane or something.

One reader chimed in and said he’s actually used this bus stop:

I’ve used that Silver Spring stop many times and it is treacherous. Before that wall was there you had to stand on the hill. It’s across from my neighborhood and yes people use it. It needs a crosswalk and sidewalk.

Indeed. Another reader added that the walking environment might get a little better, sort of:

The Silver Spring Master Plan calls for building a sidewalk on that side eventually… between the previous bus stop at the bottom of the hill and the next bus stop at the top of the hill. Before there was a sidewalk on either side of US 29, I used to walk down the middle of the median in that area and when the traffic light on each end of that block is red, it is pretty easy to cross.

Agency in charge: Maryland State Highway Administration.

Asheville

This roadside ditch outside Asheville triumphed over a strangely humiliating Atlanta bus stop in the first round. An anonymous reader submitted this one:

Nice bus stop in a ditch between Asheville NC and Black Mountain on 5-6 lane US Highway 70. Ridership has been so bad that the route is being reduced significantly. Maybe because the bus stops are in a ditch? This is route 170 served by Asheville Transit.

Agencies in charge: North Carolina DOT, Asheville Transit.

Here is a map of all the contestants with today’s matchup highlighted in green.

And the bracket — fewer than half the contestants remain in the game: