Get into the Groove with Bus Stop Moves
Stay warm and develop a fitness routine while you wait for the bus at three RTA shelters in Collinwood.
Baby, it’s cold outside!
Next time you are waiting on the Route 39 - or one of the other RTA buses that weaves throughout North Collinwood - remember the best way to keep warm is to keep MOVING!
Thanks to funding from The Kresge Foundation and Cuyahoga Arts and Culture through Northeast Shores’ COLLINWOOD 2015 grant program, the project “Bus Stop Moves” launched at three targeted bus shelters last month. The grant and resulting project were designed to address health issues identified through the annual “Picturing Collinwood” survey in addition to the October quarterly Northeast Shores meeting where feedback was solicited by “Bus Stop Moves’” creators.
This project endeavors to inject just a few minutes of stretching and strengthening exercises into RTA riders’ commute - while waiting for the bus to arrive - by providing simple illustrations and health tips on clear, vinyl stickers adhered to select glass shelter panels.
Stickers and art (or advertisements) at bus shelters can be seen in Ohio City where artistic renders of the Guardians of Transportation adorn shelters. “Bus Stop Moves” goes beyond merely providing imagery to dress up the older-style shelters. These stickers have been designed with QR codes to link users to both MetroHealth’s website (metrohealth.org) for more information on staying active and moving healthy as well as the project’s Facebook page (facebook.com/busstopmoves which is viewable even if you don’t have a social media account). Here users can find links to music to keep them grooving, additional exercise resources, and a community of RTA riders exercising together!
Exercise is not only a great way to stay in shape, it’s proven to improve your mood, increase your energy and reduce your stress. Each shelter in this pilot project is themed to either mood, energy or stress reduction with exercises that correspond to each benefit. Thanks to a collaboration with Dr. Seeholzer, Dr.Kearney and their team of health and community outreach professionals at MetroHealth, Collinwood resident-artist and grantee Allison Lukacsy designed graphics and exercise routines for people of multiple abilities. Whether you are just starting to improve your health or are looking for a way to squeeze more fitness into your daily routine, these shelters have something for you – from tips to stay hydrated, ways to make a move more challenging, and suggestions for walking routes from each shelter to a neighborhood asset where exercising comes naturally!
Collinwood-based Image Mart, Inc printed and installed the stickers. Each “Bus Stop Moves” shelter has been formally adopted through the RTA’s Adopt-A-Shelter program by neighborhood volunteers to ensure the stops and stickers remain clean and maintained.
This project launches just as we enter 2016 and the City of Cleveland’s Year of Sustainable Transportation. Be green, take the bus! Move healthy, develop a fitness routine while you wait and stay warm. And don’t forget to hashtag #busstopmoves when you post to social media! Let’s do this together, Collinwood!
Allison Lukacsy
Allison is a North Shore Collinwood resident, artist, neighborhood cheerleader and frequent contributor to the Collinwood Observer. She curates "Phone Gallery" and "LOCKS of Love from Waterloo" in the Waterloo Arts District and serves of the Board of Directors of Northeast Shores.