Street furniture is a collective term used for the tools that the street furniture suppliers provide to place it on the streets or roads. These items of furniture are installed as permitted by the government or administration. The furniture includes benches, traffic lights, fire hydrants, street lights, and litter boxes. Some upgraded furniture is fountains and sculptures.
Here is a list of 5 street furniture and their uses:-
- Benches are the basic furniture found in central parts of settlements including parks and plazas. They are frequently installed by the local councils or contributors to provide a place to rest and admire views. Benches are also installed on roads in some areas so that people can sit and wait for buses or trams. Sometimes, armrests in between are also provided to stop people from lying down and/or to avoid unwanted closeness. Benches are mainly useful for older people as they can take time intervals to sit and rest as they are on their way.
- Traffic lights or traffic signals are a must street light placed in the distance on the streets to avoid and maintain the vehicles traffic. Traffic lights include three colors: green indicates vehicles to move in the signaled directions, yellow indicates vehicles to slow down and prepare to stop and even be ready to start the vehicle to move forward, and red indicates vehicles to stop at the intersections. They are generally positioned on poles or hung from wires. These traffic lights help to direct the busy road and prevent accidents
- Streetlights are also a part of the street furniture and are designed to light up the surrounding areas at night. It not only serves as a barrier to criminals but more importantly allows people to see where they are moving towards. In urban areas, the street lights provide security and help the drivers, bike riders to understand the road and maintain the speed. The color of streetlamps is mounted on the poles and the bulbs are usually white or yellow.
- Fire Hydrants are basically designed to supply a large volume of water. It is a connection point by which the fire-fighters use when there is a fire break out in the locality and they need an emergency water supply. The fire hydrants are placed at a distance of about 50-100 meters depending on the lay of the land and other services such as power and gas lines, or phone lines.
- Dustbin or Litter Box is the most essential among the street furniture suppliers. Every lane or road should have a litter box facility so as people could reach it out easily and throw the garbage in it instead of piling it on the streets. This will help to maintain the cleanliness of the city.