Stuck standing, OC Transpo riders wait for benches to be reinstalled
'My main concern is it's mostly just a lack of accessibility for people that use transit,' Harding-Nevills said. 'It's pretty frustrating, honestly.'
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Oliver Arrighi lives in South Keys and relies on OC Transpo to get to work at least three days per week.
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A temporary bus stop near his workplace never had a bench to begin with, but he said about a month ago he noticed four fabric dining table chairs nearby, which he thought had been placed there by community members.
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Arrighi isn't someone who requires a bench for mobility reasons, and the thought of using the fabric chairs 'freaked (him) out a little bit' due to possible weather damage.
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'But it would be nice to sit,' he said. 'It's great that the community stepped in to provide seating for people at bus stops, but it shouldn't have fallen on people living in the area to do that.'
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Placing lawn chairs to take action at affected bus stops is also something Harding-Nevills says he is considering.
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'I discussed with some friends to at least try and do that at the places we usually frequent,' he said. 'But also to assist other people as well.'
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Bench removals 'will affect everyone,' including people with disabilities, seniors, children and parents of young children, said Christina Ranieri, president of Ability First Ottawa, a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting persons with disabilities and their families.
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'Not having access to a bench for even a short period of time could cause serious difficulties or even further injury or exhaustion,' Ranieri said, adding this would be 'especially true' for people who may have sudden or immediate needs for rest.
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'If anything, there should be more benches and more areas with shade for people to rest throughout the city,' she wrote.
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Ranieri said Ability First Ottawa wasn't made aware of the city's removal of bus benches. The city did not respond to questions on whether or how it provided notice about bus bench maintenance.
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'They have the resources and means to communicate this properly to the travelling public,' Ranieri said. 'We think that clear communication should have been more widespread, with notices posted around the city, at all bus stops, and preferably in advance.'
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