Bus Shelters and Seats
I feel really sorry for the people who design street furniture, especially bus shelters. They can’t seem to get it right. Whatever materials they use to manufacture them they are never going to be vandal-proof. Toughened glass, metal, plastic, wood and even concrete are targeted by the vandal out to destroy. The seating isn’t safe from vandals either, they get hacked, burnt, bent or melted.

From a users point of view the seating isn’t so good, whether damaged or not, wooden ones snag clothes, plastic (not to put to fine a point on it) make the botty sweaty! and the modern metal ones are awful! They get too hot in the summer, so one burns the posterior, too cold in winter, so one gets frostbite in the nether regions. The little holes in them are a nightmare for parents with young toddlers, everyone knows a child just has to stick their finger into any holes they can see, unfortunately once in they are not always so easy to get out!

Like I said, I sympathise with the designers of street furniture and I realise they have a challenge to get a shelter and seating that would be vandal-proof and cost effective, but I feel more sorry for myself, having to sit or stand in a vandalised bus shelter, often for quiet a long time.

It has to be said though, the vandalised shelters are very soon repaired. It’s unusual to see a damaged shelter for more than a couple of days.
It costs an awful lot of money to keep on repairing the damage caused quite deliberately.