Sir,
I read with interest the council's statement that the benches on the high street have been removed to "enhance pedestrian flow and discourage anti-social behaviour". I am seventy-four years old, and I am not sure whether I am the flow or the behaviour.
For forty years, I have walked to the shops every Thursday. Halfway, near the chemist's, there was a bench. I did not use it to cause trouble. I used it to recover. Around me, others did the same: a mother with a pushchair, a man with a bad knee and, once, a very tired pigeon.
The council's report notes that some benches were "occupied for long periods". I understand the concern. A bench, if left unsupervised, may encourage people to sit, to talk and, in the worst cases, to enjoy themselves. There is evidence that this happens.
I have, however, a simple suggestion. If the problem is that a few people stay too long, speak to them. Do not remove the seat from the rest of us. A town where nobody may rest is not a town; it is a corridor.
I will continue to walk. But I will do so, from now on, with a small folding stool, which I will place in the middle of the pavement. If this obstructs the flow, I shall be happy to discuss it.
Yours faithfully, Margaret Hale
Fiction note: All people, places and events in this text are fictional.