It's fairly common in provincial Russia to see bus stops with a shop, pharmacy, or sometimes even a slot-machine hall attached.
Come to Northampton one day. It's like a bus stop with an entire town attached. We wait a long time for the buses here too.
Not actually that uncommon - remember this is an undeveloped mountainous country where, for the vast majority of the population, buses will be the normal form of transport for long distances.
I wouldn't imagine (based on personal experience of the region) that it would be uncommon to have to wait 4-6 hours for a bus ride that'll take 14-20 hours.
To bring it into context, think of Victoria Coach Station. It's a bus stop. It has an attached shopping mall and hotel.
Hotels, shops and other amenities are all good and well, but there are no actual buses to go with the bus station, which is what I think is the point of a bus station.
Perhaps they watched Field of Dreams one too many times "Build it and they will come".
Yes; but I bet all those places had buses to wait for before they had specialised facilities for waiting for buses:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/modesoftransport/4852.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nottingham_City_Transport
"There are no buses yet."
...........but never jam today.
There was a time when UK railway companies were building towns to go with their railway stations.
"There are no buses yet."
Actually this is part of the policy being helpfully offered by western NGOs in order to reduce Afghanistan's carbon footprint.
Rob,
Metro-Land was a private initiative, not a state initiative. The Metropolitan Line was nationalised 1933.
It is one thing to risk investor's money, it is another to involuntarily tax people and then risk their money.
Brendan: quite right. The idea that the transport would be built simultaneously with destination, perhaps by the same people, makes so much sense that it would probably be the normal situation absent nationalisation of transport and planning regulations.
I'm not sure what to make of the Afghanistan bus stop. Is it possible the buses -- private ones -- *will* come, now that there's a bus stop?
Rob,
Funny, I don't think the demand for commuter housing will follow somehow though in Afghanistan.
"If you lived here, you'd be blown up by now"
I'm not sure what to make of the Afghanistan bus stop. Is it possible the buses -- private ones -- *will* come, now that there's a bus stop?
I know no government would ever think to ask, but is there anything there, apart from the bus stop, that people might want to visit by bus?