NYC subway station replaces benches with goofy leaning bars and commuters are confused

These new lean bars don’t stand up to scrutiny.The MTA replaced benches with new leaning bars at a bustling lower Manhattan subway station that were widely panned by straphangers as “uncomfortable” and “kind of awkward.”The new metal slates were recently unveiled on a platform of the West 4th Street subway station that serves the A, C, and E lines near Washington Square Park.The MTA reportedly said the change at the station, which is not the first transit hub to ever receive lean-in equipment, is part of a pilot program that could discourage the homeless from setting up camp.But while there is nowhere for the homeless to sleep, there’s also nowhere for riders to sit if a train is backed up.“I hate it,” Colby B., 47, told The Post Tuesday afternoon, also calling it “stupid.”“I’m handicapped,” she fumed.“If I’m out running around, having a place to sit for a second makes a big difference.” Varda Steinhardt, 64, said her 22-year-old son needs a place to sit because he suffers from seizures.She said it’s dangerous for him to stand for an upcoming train with his disorder.“Sometimes you come here and it’s a 15-minute wait for the A-train,” she explained.

“My son has trouble standing for that long.So that’s not OK.” Marcia Simmons, who was leaning on one of the bars with a cane because of a recent injury, was shocked to see the wooden benches wiped from the platform.“It’s a little annoying because I have to lean up against it and I’m really tired because I’ve been walking for the past 10 minutes,” Simmons said.

 “So when you want to sit down but instead you got to lean up against something, it’s kind of awkward.”The dissatisfaction appeared to span across generations with Madison Hoflur, who was on her way home from school, adding, “I feel like it’s very uncomfortable for people who are walking or running a lot.” The new leaning bars were situated at the uptown line for the A, C, and E trains while ...