CITYWIDE — Bad news for bench lovers.
Big Blue Bus will not bring back the old aluminum bus stop benches, largely because they encourage loitering.
A $7 million project to replace the old bus stops with new, modern ones started earlier this year.
Residents (and City Council candidates) hate the new stops. The Daily Press has received dozens of letters and e-mails maligning the new design.
Residents say, among other things, that they fail to provide shade, they are uncomfortable, and they are ugly.
BBB officials responded with a promise to alter the designs with the intent of making them more comfortable.
Residents called for the old benches to be returned and BBB officials initially stated that this was a possibility. Not anymore, according to BBB’s website.
“In the seven to ten years since the benches were installed, BBB and the Santa Monica Police Department received many complaints about loitering on the benches,” BBB’s website states. “They were filed by riders and owners of businesses. As such, BBB was assigned criteria for evaluating design proposals … that included imperviousness to loitering by non-riders and vandalism, as difficult and uncomfortable as that may be to disclose.”
The benches, officials said, don’t meet those criteria.
Residents have complained in the past about homeless people sleeping on the benches and many of those opposed to the new seats say they were designed to keep the homeless away.
“In addition, some locations have very narrow sidewalks and the seating is very close to private residence or commercial frontage,” city officials said. “In these situations, the new seating is much more compatible to the adjacent residents, businesses, and property owners.”
Adding the old benches to the sidewalk, BBB officials said, may not leave enough space for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Residents have noted that the new, small, low-backed seats can also be challenging for those with disabilities.
“Although the ADA does not require transit agencies to provide seating at bus shelters,” BBB officials said, “we are revising the double-seat configuration to satisfy the public’s concerns.”
They will share the renderings of the revised seat design when they become available.
“We really have taken the constructive feedback we have gotten about the seats’ functionality, including the difficulty some riders have with standing up to catch the bus, to heart,” BBB officials said.
dave@www.smdp.com
So our city spent 7 million dollars to deprive homeless people of a place to sleep. Imagine if they had spent 7 million dollars improving resources for our homeless population. Shameful.
love them. it seems like most of the complaints would be legitimate if the benches were designed for long-term seating. they are designed as a place to sit for a few minutes–totally different purpose than the benches being installed downtown.
Keep the new benches, they keep the crazy homeless people off of them so we can actually use them. Santa Monica even on Main St has a problem with mentally ill and violent transients and I wish police would start doing something before they assault someone or hurt themselves. Keep Santa Monica nice, put a tarp over them for shade like they do in AZ, and kudos for designing a bench that prevents sleeping and provides comfort and keeping the city modern.
These stools are designed for two thin young people of the same gender who don’t mid sitting hip pocket to hip pocket. The unwanted sleeping problem was solved years ago in airports with arm rests in the middle of the benches.
I’ve sat on them, they’re fine. They are comfortable enough for a 30 minute wait for a bus. I passed by an under construction stop along Main today with three shade discs and it did look more finished than the low volume stops already done.
A rhetorical question. Is there any other city in the entire country that is removing benches from their streets? Who is behind this insanity? These, “BBB” officials should immediately resign from their positions or be removed by the City Manager. Benches are designed for “loitering.” They are the epitome of places to loiter. This is what cities are all about. In Los Angeles they are adding benches downtown so that people can loiter and communicate with each other, eat their lunches and spend time outside. Isn’t there a goal to get people out of their cars in Santa Monica? This bench removal and stool installation program is an excellent way to accomplish this goal. Shame, shame, shame and a few more shames….