Villagers' fury as bus stop seats are 30 INCHES too high
Is it made for giants? Villagers’ fury as bus stop seats are 30 INCHES high – leaving pensioners with their legs dangling in the air
- New chairs at bus shelter in Fleering, Essex, are 10 inches higher than standard
- Angry locals describe seating as ‘made for giants’ with their legs left dangling
- Shelters paid for by house builder in deal with council over 165 new homes
Bemused villagers have been left scratching their heads after a new bus stop with seats 10 inches too high was installed – leaving them with their legs dangling in the air.
The seating ‘made for giants’ has baffled locals in Fleering, Essex, who can’t sit at the brand new bus shelters that were installed last week.
The towering 30-inch wooden chairs have been described as too high for most passengers, including the elderly and disabled.
Councillor Paul Thorogood, who is 6ft tall, said his feet don’t even touch the floor when he sits on one of the benches.
Councillor Paul Thorogoode at the bus stop in Fleering, Essex, with the high seat
Housing developer Bloor Homes agreed to replace the bus shelter as a condition of getting permission to build 165 homes in the village
Cllr Thorogood said: ‘The height of the seats isn’t very user-friendly…unless you’re a giant! I’m 6ft and my legs are hanging off the edge.
‘For a 5ft 2ins tall pensioner with a dodgy knee or hip it’s totally unusable.
‘The bus shelter seats are meant to be 20 inches high. But one is 30 inches and the other is 26 inches. They’re brand new and should be fitted at the correct height.’
Housing developer Bloor Homes paid for the bus shelters in Fleering as part of a deal with the council to build 165 homes in the village, Cllr Thorogood said.
But he added that Essex County Council was responsible for their upkeep – meaning the taxpayer may have to foot a bill to replace the seating.
He said: ‘Something’s not quite right. They haven’t fixed it yet but it will be in the pipeline hopefully.
Councillor Paul Thorogoode measures the chairs as 30 inches high. The standard height for bus shelter seating is 20 inches.
The shelters were installed eight months ago, but issues with their height only came to light after Covid-19 travel restrictions were eased.
‘Many people who are elderly or have a disability need to be able to sit down when waiting for a bus. At the moment, they can’t.’
Essex Highways has confirmed that it will lower the bus shelter seats ‘as soon as possible’ in Feering, Essex after receiving complaints from villagers.
But the transport body said that it cannot currently make the adjustments due to the number of services running through the area.
Essex Highways has confirmed that it will lower the bus shelter seats ‘as soon as possible’
Essex Highways also confirmed that the bus shelters were installed eight months ago, but issues with their height only came to light after Covid-19 travel restrictions were eased.
A spokesman for Essex Highways said: ‘The shelters were installed about eight months ago as part of a nearby development, but with travel restrictions around Covid-19 this issue has only just come to light.
‘It’s not possible to lower the shelter due to the number of services running under the shelter so the Essex Highways maintenance team will arrange to have the seat lowered in both shelters as soon as possible.’
Bloor Homes was contacted for comment.
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