For more than two years, some seats on Muni buses have been perpetually in the up position, locked and unusable. The move was made to limit liability after the company that builds Muni buses warned its customers that there had been a few injuries because those seats don't have any kind of barrier in front of them. These are the culprits we're talking about:

"Unfortunately, we have not been able to find another solution, and these seats will be permanently flipped up," an SFMTA spokesperson said at the time. That's been the situation since June 2014 — but yesterday the transit agency revealed a groundbreaking solution: Kinked poles that can also swivel. What a time to be alive.

These aren’t just any metal poles — technically, they’re known as “rotational stanchions” because they rotate to allow space for customers with wheelchairs and strollers. When the seats are flipped up, a yellow knob at the bottom of the pole can be pulled to unlock the pole and rotate it out of the way.

Yep, these poles provide something to hold onto, but they can also get out of the way for ADA compliance. This is a retrofit operation, and new Muni buses that are on the way won't be subject to the same problem. Of the 570 current buses getting the retrofit treatment, 350 are finished, with the rest to be done by the fall. As someone who truly does love sitting down — it's sort of my personal vice — I can hardly contain myself.

Previously: Muni Locks Down Potentially Dangerous Front-Facing Bus Seats