Isn’t there an app for that?
A mistake or a feature? In Boston wouldn’t you rather see who is behind you? It’s not like you can’t hear most buses coming and we all know looking doesn’t make it come any faster.
To watch for the bus the people seated must turn to their right instead of left, that is what the people of Boston are complaining about. They would rather have their feet in the street.
So, I guess no one would mind siting in this bench if it was turned around, huh?
Well, I would not want to be sitting so close to the street that my feet would be on the curb with my “toes” hanging over the storm drain…
If the bench was turned around and if the bus stops how do you get up to move to the buses’ door? I did notice some paint marks in front of the bushes in other parts of the video, but then the bench would be blocking the sidewalk and walkers would have to step off the sidewalk to keep from bumping into the bench.
Boston city planners at their best…
I think the guy who installed that bench should be called in for a “random” drug test AND a vision test at his city’s fleet service health department
I’ll go the less paranoid route (as in being afraid of who’s behind you), and say it’s more “community” oriented. If you’re a bus-rider and sit facing the sidewalk, then you’re more likely to see and interact with people from your regular haunts. Sitting facing traffic is something of a closing off from others.
There is at least some sentiment in various schools of thought that US suburban neighborhoods are built “inside-out” - as in having front doors facing the anonymous street of cars rather than your neighbors’ backyards. Similar principle.
Or they can do what I did, stand while waiting for a bus. Rode city busses everywhere in the 60s, prior to getting a drivers license when I turned 16. No benches back then.
Way too simple to be an exceptable solution 
A bench that close to the street should face away from the street. Someone would have to stand in the street to sit down. IMO it’s safer to have the benches installed as shown if they have to be inside the chalk marks on the sidewalk. If the bench is moved away from the street a foot or two, then facing towards the street would make sense.
Sometimes Boston (Massachusetts in general) likes to do things differently.
If the bench was facing the street, people would get hit in the head by the side view mirror on the bus when the rise from the bench.
The bench was installed on the corner of Mount Auburn Street and Sparks Street. As you can see, there is a nicely situated tree next to the bus stop and corner and if they put it next to the bushes, as they should, the tree takes up half of the sidewalk space and it would block the sidewalk…
In the original video, it does show markings on the sidewalk…
Someone, would have had to use their head and move the bench just enough east on Mt. Auburn St. and the bench would not block the sidewalk and it would still be close enough to the bus stop to be convenient. But why would anyone think that matters? L 
L . . .
That would be called common sense something that is not common nowadays. 
Given that new picture, I think MULTIPLE city employees should be called in for a “random” drug test and vision test 
Probably want to start with the mayors office if you read the papers on her priorities. Not to get political here and offend anyone.
If an ideal/perfect placement is required, there looks to be plenty of room at that location to position it further from the curb, moved toward the sidewalk , still not obstruct the sidewalk, and facing the street. Exactly the same position, just turned around seems ok to me. Not 100% perfect, but perfect is expensive.