Swap at this St. Mark's Place M8 stop: bench replaces leaning bar

Back in January, the MTA installed a leaning bar (aka butt rails or butt shelves) at the eastbound M8 stop on St. Mark's Place at Second Avenue. 

Sometime recently, that setup, per EVG reader Terry Howell, was swapped out for a traditional bench — a new addition at this stop. 

As noted here before, the lean bars aren't exactly comfortable (depending on your height), and critics have said they make bus stops less accessible — particularly for older riders and people with disabilities. 

Regardless, for now, the M8 stop has something it didn't have before: an actual place to sit... that isn't the sidewalk.

Passengers now have leaning rails at these East Village bus stops

This past week, the MTA installed leaning bars (aka, butt rails or butt shelves) at the eastbound M8 stop on St. Mark's Place at Second Avenue (above) and the westbound M8 stop on Ninth Street at First Avenue (photo below by Steven) ...

As noted before, depending on your height, the lean machines aren't super comfy. In addition, advocates have criticized the bars for making MTA bus and subway stops less accessible to segments of the population, including people with disabilities. 

However, the MTA says these booty bars cost about $450, compared to over $4,000 for a traditional wooden bench.

This past November, City Hall committed $40 million to putting seating or rear rails at every eligible bus stop in NYC — some 8,750 without a place to sit or lean. The rollout will reportedly take up to 10 years, with 875 stops updated annually.

Let us know if you have seen more of the new "I'm not sitting" bars around... some stops have had them for years.