BART Downgrades Seating At 16th Street/Mission Plaza

On November 3rd, BART installed three concrete seats at its southwest 16th Street/Mission Plaza replacing the six or more benches it removed during a construction project in September.

Earlier posts:

https://sffnb.org/2018/10/11/bart-board-addresses-16th-street-mission-street-bart-plaza/

https://sffnb.org/2018/10/08/bart-removes-benches-from-16th-street-mission-street-plaza/

SF Examiner’s Laura Waxmann photographed the new seats on November 3rd. (Top Photo below.)

These newly installed seats are smaller and less comfortable than the proper metal benches with backs that BART removed in September. Here is a photo from the BART website (https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2018/news20180905) that shows the old benches. (Bottom Photo below.)

The old benches were wonderful; nothing was wrong with them at all. Most importantly, the plaza had at least six of them compared to the three replacement seats.

Instead of improving public amenities, BART is moving backwards at the SW 16th Street/Mission Plaza, from the iron age to the stone age.

BART’s recent renovation of this plaza, including the cruel downgrading of seating, occurred without public notification or discussion. In fact, the only update about the benches came from BART Director Bevan Dufty’s private facebook account, viewable only to people logged into their facebook accounts.

Please contact the following people to try to get adequate and at least equivalent replacement seating at the SW 16th Street/Mission BART Plaza:

BART Director Bevan Dufty–510-464-6095, bevan.dufty [at] bart.gov

BART staffer Molly Burke, molly.burke [at] bart.gov

SF Supervisor Hillary Ronen–415-554-5144, Hillary.Ronen [at] sfgov.org