On the granite stoop outside of the Gallagher, Callahan and Gartrell law firm, Sean Downs took a seat to wait for the bus.

The Capital Area Transit stop on North Main Street sits between two driveways for the law firm, but without a bench at the stop itself, Downs normally takes to the front steps as he waits, he said.

To him, the biggest issue with the stop isn’t its location, which city councilors debated moving on Monday. In fact, it’s in a convenient position to walk to the Friendly Kitchen or head downtown, he said. 

“It would be nice if they had seats at more of these bus stops,” he said.

Seating was not the concern that spurred the city council discussions, though.

To Fred Keach, an at-large city councilor, the stop outside the law offices has become a “complete magnet” of problems. In a sense, it’s emblematic of a growing problem downtown, he continued.

“I can tell you as a resident of downtown, I honestly feel held hostage by the homeless population,” he said. “That’s not to blame them or demonize them as a group, but the idea of coexisting is not where it is at now.”

Instead, growing tensions, especially among downtown businesses, are hitting a boiling point, he said.

“It’s not a data issue, it’s a public safety issue,” he said. “We’d be neglectful not to respond to a good neighbor, a good business who raised an issue and wants us to address it.”

Earlier this year, Ari Pollack, an attorney at Gallagher, Callahan and Gatrell, asked the city to move the location of the bus stop over safety concerns.

Councilors ultimately voted to direct city staff to evaluate alternative locations for a stop. A vote on moving the location will come at a future meeting.

“We either deal with the frustration or we deal with the consequences,” Keach said. “I think by doing what we’re doing tonight, we’re doing a small part but making some progress and I think that is an important message to send.”

Nathan Fennessy, an at-large city councilor, agreed. Currently, the Gallagher offices keep their doors locked. But five years ago, anyone could walk right in. That’s a sign that the city needs to take action, he said.

“Because of all the issues they’ve had, if one of our businesses has to lock their doors because of public safety issues, I think we need to listen,” he said.

Pollack’s request was brought to both the public safety advisory board and the transportation policy advisory committee. The current location is in a dangerous position of incoming and outgoing traffic from the firm’s parking lots, he said.

The issue with the bus stop goes beyond homelessness and is rooted in the safety of residents looking to ride the bus, said Amanda Grady Sexton, the public safety committee chair and at-large city councilor.

“There have been numerous near misses where people waiting for the bus stop have almost been hit by vehicles,” she said.

But to members of the transportation committee, including Ward 5 Councilor Stacey Brown, the current location is best fit for accessible transportation in the community.

“The best spot is exactly where it was,” she said. “I don’t think it would be a good use of taxpayer funds to move the bus stop to a location where it is less safe.”

In evaluating the location, the transportation committee looked at a matrix that presented considerations for nine locations – was the stop in a shoulder or lane, impacts to on-street parking, distance from intersections and crosswalks, ADA accessibility.

Brown, along with Ward 10 Councilor Jeff Foote, walked the North Main Street section with a tape measure in hand to evaluate each proposal themselves, she said.

Out of all locations between the intersection at Storrs Street to the right turn for Interstate 393, the current location between the parking lot driveways scored the most positive evaluation.

The larger issue of people experiencing homelessness is one that needs to be addressed at the state level, said Foote, who sits on both the public safety and transportation committees.

“It’s nice to have this public bus stop issue come before us, but really, it’s a much larger issue,” he said. “Until we can get our heads wrapped around that, we can be having these arguments every single month.”

The current stop encourages “legal loitering,” said Jennifer Kretovic, Ward 3 city councilor. While a report stated that 11 people on average get on a bus from that stop per day, far more can be found there congregating, she said.

“We’ve provided a space for legal loitering because there is a bus stop there,” she said. “Ultimately, as a council, we need to respect the fact that this is a public safety issue.”

While Downs waited for the bus, he was joined by one other. Jacob Klardie was waiting to catch a ride up to Penacook to visit his daughter. He typically arrives a few minutes early, he said, choosing to stand up in the mulch that divides the parking lot from the sidewalk. From there he can catch a glimpse of the bus as it comes down North Main Street.

From Downs’ post in front of the Gallagher offices, he didn’t have quite the view. As he sat there, the green and white Captial Area Transit bus flew through the green light without stopping. His afternoon continued on the stoop as he waited for the next bus to come.