Some Berkeley, California residents took matters into their own hands after they noticed the need for benches at public bus stops around the city.
Mingwei Samuel, 25, said he began building benches for the bus stops after he saw a photo of an elderly person, who had just gotten surgery, sitting on the curb because the bus stop on Martin Luther King Jr. Way in North Berkeley didn’t have a bench.
It received so much praise he decided to team up with fellow Berkeley resident and transportation activist Darrell Owens to build more.
“Our number one goal is to make transit riders safe, that’s our issue,” Mr. Owens told NBC. “If you’re sitting on a curb, it’s hard for the bus driver to see you. You’re in the path of vehicles. That’s not where anyone wants to be.”
The City of Berkeley has since removed Mr. Samuel’s bench and replaced it with a metal one, according to NBC.
However, the two bench makers say they’re continuing their mission.
“We’re gonna keep building them so as long as the city doesn’t put down benches, we’re going to do it for them,” Mr. Owens said.
The duo said they’ve improved their design and installation methods and are targeting the nearby City of Oakland as well. Richmond and Fremont’s bus stops in Oakland are next on their list, according to NBC.
“It feels good to be able to do that,” Mr. Samuel said. “It’s nice to build something and see people using it, and making a positive impact in that way, it feels really great.”
