City of Wilmington to store DSA bus stop benches while negotiations continue
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The City of Wilmington says it will remove the remaining unauthorized bus stop benches installed by the Wilmington chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA-ILM) from city-owned rights-of-way while discussions with the organization continue.
The announcement comes after the North Carolina Department of Transportation removed several benches located along state-maintained roads in Wilmington.
In a statement Monday, the city said it has been working with DSA-ILM to explore an agreement that would allow some of the benches to remain in place temporarily while WAVE Transit installs authorized replacement benches.
According to the city, the proposed agreement would require DSA-ILM to maintain the benches and provide information about where they are located and how they were constructed.
City officials said those requirements are intended to ensure infrastructure placed in public rights-of-way can be safely maintained and managed.
Because an agreement has not yet been reached, the city said it plans to remove the remaining unauthorized benches from city-owned rights-of-way and place them in temporary storage. Officials said if negotiations are unsuccessful, DSA-ILM will be able to retrieve the benches.
The city noted that while many roads are within Wilmington city limits, major roadways are often owned and maintained by NCDOT, meaning decisions regarding benches and other infrastructure in those rights-of-way are made by the state rather than the city.
The latest statement follows criticism from DSA-ILM after NCDOT removed several of the group’s community-built benches Thursday. The organization said the benches were built through a mutual aid effort to provide seating for transit riders and criticized the removals, arguing they reduced available seating at bus stops.
The city said its priority remains the safety and security of people using bus stops within city-owned rights-of-way.
