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A “BIZARRE” SEATING arrangement at some Dublin bus stops has been labelled “hostile” and not functional.
Single chairs, placed approximately six metres away from where a bus would typically open its doors, have appeared at some locations on the southside of the city.
Seeking to understand why a single chair was favoured over the usual bench, The Journal contacted Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, which directed us to Dublin Bus, which directed us to contact the National Transport Authority (NTA).
The NTA said funding has been provided to local councils to purchase and install the seating. Three options are available to them, one to three seaters, depending on the width of the footpath near the stop.
It added that they trialled the chairs in 2023 in Wicklow and south Dublin and later asked a disability user group for feedback on the chairs, without detailing what that feedback was.
Local Green Party councillor Robert Jones believes the new seat is “hostile architecture”, a term that refers to measures used to prevent homeless people from resting or sleeping on benches or in sheltered areas. Spikes and raised bars are other examples.
The Journal visited one of the new seats on Overend Avenue in Dundrum this week and met a commuter who was sitting in the chair at the time.
His verdict?
“It’s bizarre.”
The commuter added that the bus stop will be a lot busier when the school term starts in a couple of weeks. He noted that there are buses every 15 minutes from this stop, so at least anyone standing would not have long to wait to sit down when the bus arrived.
It is believed by local councillors that planning permission is not required to install a single chair.
Green Party Councillor for Dundrum Robert Jones said the chair is the “lowest common denominator” for providing comfortable seating at bus stops. He described it as an “engineer’s solution”.
He told The Journal: ”The obvious question is, why a single seat? And why six metres away from the doors of the bus?”
He said he believes it does not fulfil what has been agreed in the area’s development plans and is not functional. A 2023 Dundrum local area plan sought to provide ‘comfortable’ transport options for people in Balally.
It also planned to use the Balally Luas stop as a centre-point for a local transport hub, which would provide links to bus lines and other options.
Additional reporting by Eimer McAuley
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