Saturday, April 12, 2014

Council install benches deliberately designed to be uncomfortable to discourage extended sitting

New benches installed in the centre of a seaside town have been deliberately designed to be uncomfortable, council bosses have admitted. Dover town council said it was hoped the wave-shaped benches would deter "extended sitting".



The benches, which are made of seven curved strips of metal to blend in with the shape of the waves, do not have a back or armrest so that shoppers only sit on them for a few minutes.

The chair of the community and services department, Councillor Sue Jones, said: "If they were too comfortable, we would have the gentlemen and ladies of the day lounging on them. They discourage antisocial behaviour."



One local resident, June Murphy, said she was considering staging a protest on one of the benches by sitting on a cushion. She said: "What's the point of having benches if they are not there to be sat on? They might as well put an electric fence up so everyone keeps out."

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

They seem to just want you to spend your money and then leave...

Anonymous said...

gentlemen and ladies of the day = prostitute?

Not sure 'antisocial' is quite the right word.

Dunex said...

Installing uncomfortable benches is a definition of antisocial behaviour dammit!
And Dover got a population of 40k...just say "No youth's and certainly no skateboarding".
Or they are referring to illegal aliens and foreign beggars?

Anonymous said...

is it just me or uk officials use "antisocial behaviour" for anything and everything that's not directly cover by a law but they don't want people to do.