A Letter to the Editor about Snow and Bus Stops
This letter is going to be in the Ann Arbor News soon. I was fortunate enough to recieve at advance copy and permission to post it. Just would welcome any comments, feedback or suggestions you have:
To the Editor,
Suppose you had to rely on the AATA for transportation, as many folks in town do. Your ride would arrive on time, be driven by a competent driver at a reasonable cost. But in the winter, you might have to wade through knee-deep snow to get on or off.
An occasional bus rider, I appreciate AATA service but find it sad that we can’t figure out how to keep our bus stops accessible after a snowstorm. I’ve seen bus riders struggling through drifts or walking in the street, because we manage to keep the streets cleared but not the bus stops. After this season’s first big snow, I witnessed a teen-aged girl fall hard on her rear end as she stepped off the bus and tried to clamber over a mound of snow. While the watching riders
gasped audibly, she got up and continued on her way. Imagine what might have happened if she were frail or elderly.
According to AATA’s Jeff Murphy, the system has 1700 bus stops. His crews attempt to keep the most frequented bus stops clear and AATA has maintenance agreements with shopping malls, etc. However, it will take everyone helping to do the job.
Suggestions:
Adopt that bus stop near your home, business, or church.
Make sure it’s cleaned off.
In charge of a youth group looking for a service project? Some of that marvelous energy harnessed to a snow shovel could make a big difference!
The snow is melted as I write this, but the next storm is not far off . . .
Judy Schmidt
Ann Arbor
734-971-5763
FransDotir@aol.com
UPDATE: Blue Pencil shares the same concerns over on her blog: http://bluepencilcritic.blogspot.com/2007/12/ride-wherever-life-takes-you.htmlÂ
As one who has waded through knee deep snow often, I applaud Judy’s letter. One thing I don’t understand though is why some of the bus stops are unpaved. Not only would it be difficult to shovel them, but when the snow melts, it’s mud soup.
Comment by Riin — January 10, 2008 @ 11:34 amI think these are great ideas! I dealt with this recently myself when getting on and off buses. Even though I live in an apartment and don’t need to own a shovel I think I will invest in one to take clean up the stop near me that does not seem to be taken care of.
Another annoyance of mine is where the sidewalk ends. Not a Shel Silverstein book of poetry but the gap between nicely shoveled sidewalk and a swath of snowy terrain where you have to step in other people’s footsteps in order to reach the road or next sidewalk.
Comment by Shannon Tubb — January 10, 2008 @ 11:12 pm