ARLINGTON Community Transit bus driver Thom Parsons agrees that its a good idea to put benches at all the bus stops in town.
You could start a call-in campaign to CT, but it would be one bench at a time, Parsons said, adding that the squeaky wheel gets the bench and they just install benches when the community demands one.
Parsons drives the Arlington to Smokey Point route, passing by The Fountain Restaurant daily. He often sits on a fence as a short break from his drivers seat.
The more people who call and request a bench for a certain site, the more chance youll get one. The bus driver pointed out that CT operates on a pretty tight budget and doesnt have the money to install benches and shelters at every stop like in Seattle.
Installing benches at all the bus stops in the city of Arlington is a project launched by Virginia Hatch, chair of the parks, arts and recreation commission.
Its just gets me when I drive around town and see people sitting on the ground, Hatch said. A prime mover in the citys Centennial bench project which resulted in more than 10 benches along the Centennial Trail in historic downtown Arlington, Hatch researched options and found the lowest priced bench on the market. Now she is searching for community groups, business owners and individuals to purchase benches.
There are 52 bus stops in the city that need benches, she said. It just seems civilized to have benches at bus stops.
Her first customer, Robin Miller, decided to support the effort, presenting a check for $230 to Hatch and Sarah Hegge, the parks and recreation manager for the city.
I wanted to buy a bench to help promote bus riding, Miller said. Its the only real solution to our traffic problems . . . to get people out of their cars my making it easy and convenient to ride the bus instead.
At $230, the most basic model is comprised of two pipe posts and a recycled plastic board seat. A more expensive bench, the $375 bench includes a back, also made of recycled plastic.
The city will decide where to locate the benches as orders come in, Hatch said.
Parsons said that he sees a lot of seniors as well as young people riding his bus. He also said that he is planning to ride his motorbike a to Sturgis, South Dakota at the end of July.
I usually look a lot more clean cut than this, said Parsons, who just happened to be sitting on a fence near the bus stop where Miller wants to locate her bench.