[Northern Light]

Lowest common denominator is a matter of opinion. I have no horse in the race of longitudinal vs. transverse seating, but I would much prefer plastic seating instead of cloth seating, even though the opinion here seems to sway very much in the opposite direction. Personally I think that cloth seating in cities with populations of over 200k is a hygienic nightmare, and would much rather accept the slight decrease in discomfort in exchange for the lack of absorbent seats. If you're going to have absorbent seats, your cleaning regimen needs military levels of oversight and strictness, otherwise it is just giving off the illusion of luxury and comfort while actually being foul.

There is no reason for fabric seats to have to be 'absorbent'. Lot of fabrics have liquid repellent and water-tight surfaces naturally.

Hence why 'breathable' clothing is considered a desirable marketing thing, because some is not naturally so and/or has a tight enough weave to make it not so.

Stain guard is applied to most commercially purchasable furniture these days. This is not some sort of Star Trek tech, its available today. We can do far better than hard plastic and still maintain perfectly fine hygiene.

@AlvinofDiaspar noted the utility of vinyl in this regard. It is possible to get a fabric with similar characteristics/ vinyl that doesn't stick to bare skin.

 

[Northern Light]

On the above, pre-covid, Los Angeles Transit went to a new variation of vinyl seating:

From: https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-metro-cloth-seats-20180710-story.html

For alternate choices........why not go to the manufacturer?

Manufacturers of fabrics for subway seats | Muaret Textil

Get high quality technical fabrics for subway seating. We comply with country-specific regulations. More than 40 years of experience. Get in!

muaret-textil.com

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

On the above, pre-covid, Los Angeles Transit went to a new variation of vinyl seating:

View attachment 580760
From: https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-metro-cloth-seats-20180710-story.html

For alternate choices........why not go to the manufacturer?

Manufacturers of fabrics for subway seats | Muaret Textil

Get high quality technical fabrics for subway seating. We comply with country-specific regulations. More than 40 years of experience. Get in!

muaret-textil.com

View attachment 580761

It *sounds* good, but they need to demo it - including actual tests for the level of cleaning required for different types of liquids/spillage.

AoD

 

[picard102]

Hi Tonie, the fabric seats on our system are designed to be durable, breathable, and easy to clean. It's very simple to swap them and replace if needed. We've had considerable issues with graffiti when we had plastic seat material. ^SR

https://twitter.com/x/status/1724965857036538271

 

[Northern Light]

Hi Tonie, the fabric seats on our system are designed to be durable, breathable, and easy to clean. It's very simple to swap them and replace if needed. We've had considerable issues with graffiti when we had plastic seat material. ^SR

https://twitter.com/x/status/1724965857036538271

Based on how seats were maintained in the first few years of service, I think this is accurate; the problem, I suspect, as previously noted is simply less cleaning and less seat replacement.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

It is breathable alright - and it got a case of bad breath. And if it is so easy to clean - why are the seats so dirty? Swapping seats isn't "cleaning" - it is replacement.

AoD

 

[Northern Light]

It is breathable alright - and it got a case of bad breath. And if it is so easy to clean - why are the seats so dirty? Swapping seats isn't "cleaning" - it is replacement.

AoD

I've articulated what I think has happened.

 

[cplchanb]

It is breathable alright - and it got a case of bad breath. And if it is so easy to clean - why are the seats so dirty? Swapping seats isn't "cleaning" - it is replacement.

AoD

depends on their protocols. the swapped out seat covers could in theory be sent to the cleaners and returned to the spare stocks afterwards.

 

[max]

At the top of the seat can we just attach that roll of paper you sit on at the doctor's office so you can a pull out a fresh one before you sit down?

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

At the top of the seat can we just attach that roll of paper you sit on at the doctor's office so you can a pull out a fresh one before you sit down?

Or in a more macabre sense - disposable toilet seat covers.

depends on their protocols. the swapped out seat covers could in theory be sent to the cleaners and returned to the spare stocks afterwards.

Do you trust this as something they would do as part of their daily rounds immediately after an "event"? Much less consistently? I have my doubts - that's why I prefer question bold claims about cleanability and demand to actual wipe-clean performance.

AoD

 

[reinventingthewheel]

At the top of the seat can we just attach that roll of paper you sit on at the doctor's office so you can a pull out a fresh one before you sit down?

Or in a more macabre sense - disposable toilet seat covers.

This gave me a good laugh but honestly, if you’re that concerned and do prefer sitting on public transit, just carry around your own little protector. Maybe stow a roll of parchment paper or a shopping bag in your rucksack?

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

This gave me a good laugh but honestly, if you’re that concerned and do prefer sitting on public transit, just carry around your own little protector. Maybe stow a roll of parchment paper or a shopping bag in your rucksack?

Or just stand, like someone of us do if the seats looks dodgy - but at the end of the day, I don't call maintaining a clean, fast, reliable system to be anything but a priority for a high quality transit system, and we should not default to the lowest denominator like we have been doing in this city.

AoD

 

[picard102]

I can't say I've ever found the seats to be terribly dirty.

 

[T3G]

The current trams? With the narrow walkways in spots, as soon as someone is standing in them, and someone else tries to walk through them, it's problematic. With a similar loading on a subway train it's much easier to move around.

The walkways are narrow in some spots, so in that respect the interior design could be better, but there are no less than 3 alcoves where multiple people might credibly stand and not be in the way of flowing traffic:

2-3 people would fit here:

7 or 8 would fit here if they chose not to pull the seats down, less if the seats are occupied:

4 people would fit here:

Of course, the latter 2 you would have to vacate in the event of a wheelchair or bike boarding, but those are extremely rare events - I have been on my share of rush hour Flexities, and have never experienced this. Where on a subway are there equivalent spaces where one can sequester themselves during crushloads? Every space not devoted to doorways or the driver's cab is occupied by seats. Standing by the off-side doorway only works until the platform sides change; then you are all of a sudden that ass that's blocking the doorway again.

 

[nfitz]

Sure, there's space when it's partially full. But it's more difficult to navigate when it's full than a subway when it's full - let alone crush-loaded. At least if you find yourself in the centre of the car, in the seats.

It's certainly not as bad as some of these small-town buses with 2x2 seating all the way down the bus, where even 5 or 6 people standing creates problems.