Bus Stop Shade Tree Planting

Brisbane City Council is providing shade trees for bus stops to provide much-needed natural shade whilst waiting for the bus or during the walk to and from the bus stop. The program will increase shade, improve user comfort and reduce sun and heat exposure.

Project summary

About the project 

In 2018, Brisbane City Council released Brisbane’s Future Blueprint following extensive consultation with the community through Plan Your Brisbane around ideas to improve and enhance our city. In the Blueprint, Council committed to keeping Brisbane clean and green to make our city liveable and sustainable for our children, and their children to follow. A key initiative of the plan is to ‘provide more shade trees around bus stops and along walkways’.

To deliver on its commitment, Council has completed a review of natural shade at bus stops and has identified an opportunity to plant street trees at selected bus stops across Brisbane.

In the 2021-22 financial year there were more than 800 trees planted at over 230 bus stops. The second round of the rollout is now underway with more tree planting to follow in the coming years.

Benefits and key features

Planting suitable trees at bus stops will provide shade and cooling as well as other benefits such as improved screening and amenity. Trees will be planted as close to the bus stop as possible while ensuring appropriate clearances. At maturity, Council anticipates these new street trees will provide residents and passengers with much-needed natural shade and cooling whilst waiting for the bus or walking to and from the bus stop.

Council will provide newly planted street trees with ongoing care during their early establishment period. Council will continue to periodically maintain these street trees throughout their whole life, nurturing clean, green and sustainable streets.

Council has developed guidelines for identifying bus stops that are suitable for tree planting. Key factors that need to be considered are:

• bus stop design and accessibility requirements
• street verge width
• appropriate planting clearances (e.g. maintaining sightlines)
• planting constraints (e.g. overhead and underground services)
• tree species (a variety of preferred species are available)
• existing and future shade
• location, patronage and proximity to other community services
• bus stop user vulnerability to sun and heat exposure
• solar orientation
• existing bus stop infrastructure.

More information

If you would like to find out more about the Shade Trees at Bus Stops program you can:

• phone Council on 3403 8888
• write to:
  Natural Environment, Water and Sustainability Branch
  Urban Forest Team
  Brisbane City Council
  GPO Box 1434
  Brisbane Qld 4001.