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Why?

Submitted by Sarah on Sun, 01/07/2007 - 8:26pm.

Rain is pouring and I'm weary and I'm loaded down with groceries and I'm looking forward to resting in the bus shelter at Harrison and Division on the west side and...........................the bench is gone.

Gone. Disappeared. No more. Not a trace. The new shelter remains otherwise, fortunately, that is more than nothing and for this I am grateful. But I was really looking forward to simply sitting down. Resting.

The bench is gone. And a new No Smoking sticker has appeared. Perhaps the two are related? Kidnap a bench and everyone stops smoking?

This is a continuing saga. Most recent episode was written up 9/24/2006: Bus shelter at Harrison & Division removed again?

I'd check with Intercity Transit, but truly, I don't have the heart. My educated guess is that they've been pressured once again by a local business. Perhaps not, perhaps there are other reasons, but I still believe that a bench would be lovely in that bus shelter that serves so many bus riders.

Why don't we get to sit down? Did I miss the memo that declares that sitting is now a complicated rebellious act to be shunned?

Folks, whoever you are, give us our bench back. Thank you.

Sarah's blog
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Taking a Bench from a Lady

Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Sun, 01/07/2007 - 10:57pm.

What is this world coming to? Give the lady her bench back! puhlease!!!

In the Course of Events

no plot! (honest)

Submitted by chad360 on Mon, 01/08/2007 - 9:46am.

Hola Posse, so I did call, and had a great discussion:

they are removing old wooden benches and putting in a newer style-

Of over 1000 stops, they only have ~180 shelters, and want a ADA cert shelter at each stop, but is really costly to get permits etc from CoO to make it happen--

I'm thinking that the way to go would be to work with the bus folks to make improvements as we, the riders, see fit-- get vocal, get squeaky!

what i wanna do is have a design day at a coffee shop and make a hand cart...a walking cart for peds! any takers?

That's good news

Submitted by jlw on Mon, 01/08/2007 - 10:02am.

I'm glad the removal of the bench is not permanent. But I can't help but wonder why they don't remove the old bench and install the new one at pretty much the same time, eh?

Question

Submitted by Sarah on Mon, 01/08/2007 - 5:19pm.

Good question! I've no clue why such a practical efficient plan was not followed.

Hmm

Submitted by Sarah on Mon, 01/08/2007 - 5:15pm.

Thanks for talking with them and reporting back!

But this is all strange, the bench that was removed was a new one. Unless they have even newer ones lined up. Hasn't been a wooden bench there anyway for quite awhile. The last bench there was a new style as is the shelter, and bench matched shelter.

What is CoO?

Somehow eventually universal access design needs to be less expensive than our usual inaccessible stuff. Backwards that the permits etc. make providing ADA certified things more expensive.

Can you tell us more on those hand carts?

there might be other motives

Submitted by hazzardus waste on Mon, 01/08/2007 - 6:18pm.

the city and by proxy i.c. transit both try to discourage sitting at some bus stops fearing some are places where poor people congregate. like the stop in front of safeway downtown they removed the benches from the shelter but there is benches right beside it but out in the weather . the city has taken all the city benches off of 4th. ave for several blocks and this has been ongoing for about a year or two. these same benches were paid for by the city about 5 years ago.one was in front of jamie lee hair salon which after a lot of discussion with jamie lee they had it removed. just like someones idea to have picknick tables in sylvester park and the closing of the gazebo the powers that be want to really control and manage the use of downtown areas so they will opt out for peoples comfort or true use for an area just so hey can control things better and discourage some from utilizing the areas for longer than they want them to.

the attractive nuisance

Submitted by Crenshaw Sepulveda on Mon, 01/08/2007 - 10:23pm.

I'm afraid that a bus bench or a park bench or table is what is known as an attractive nuisance. In theory the city and the bus people want to provide seating but they realize that the "wrong" kinds of people might use it. They want to avoid this at all costs. Since they can't post signs on the seating specifying who can avail themselves of the seating they simply remove it from the public realm. Lucky for us there is still plenty of seating inside of the many fine businesses downtown. I guess we are lucky if we have the money to patronize the businesses. Those without money will find very little public accomodation here in Olympia these days. I guess that is the idea.

I would make it impossible for the covetous and avaricious to utterly impoverish the poor. The rich can take care of themselves."
^@^

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