Record number of bus stops destroyed over weekend (80)
In the capital [Vilnius] Monday morning, people driving by Cathedral Square on their way to work could see signs of vandalism at public transport stops--broken glass and a nearby telephone booth completely destroyed.
Similar scenes could be seen at Opera stop on Gostauto Street--broken glass and a broken frame.
According to Vadimas Komarskis, advertising manager for JC Decaux, the firm that takes care of the stops, every Monday it is necessary to repair more than a dozen stops that have been vandalized over the weekend.
"I'm not talking about the scribbling and graffiti that is hard to remove. What I have in mind is the serious vandalism, when glass is broken and the frames are bent", Komarskis said. "Just the glass costs about LTL 200 (EUR 58/USD 79), and that's not including the costs of labor and transport. Fixing up one of those stops is an expensive proposition."
According to Komarskis, it is really difficult to break the glass at the stops. "There's no way you could break it with your fist. A brick is needed. That's good tempered safety glass, so that it will not break easily and injure people waiting at the stop."
From 10 to 20 stops are seriously vandalized over an average weekend. There are 415 public transport stops in the city.
The firm buys glass and parts in advance and is not afraid that it will run out of spare parts.
Komarkis said that the stops in outlying parts of the city where there are fewer police patrolling are constantly being vandalized. "But on the weekends the entire city is a risk zone. Drunken people leave bars and begin vandalizing things. So, we're forced to clean up their mess."
According to Liucija Boreseviciene, the head of the 3rd Police Precinct in Vilnius, it isn't often that the police are informed about such incidents of vandalism. "In September only one such incident was reported by a passer-by", the official said.
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