I know this is a bike site so let’s all advocate and support the building of safe bike and mobility lanes. But if that’s not your cup of tea here’s a simple cause to get behind. I’ll explain, why I will not run to catch a bus or train, ever again. Nor will I ever sit at a bus stop in the rain. Transit sites need shelters and buses need to be on time.
We need to lobby for on time mass transit and covered waiting areas. Why am I so stubborn on this topic? As child, mom and I took a lot of buses. She didn’t drive. I was a 10 year old with pneumonia. Mom was taking me to the doctor when it started to downpour. We had walked 2 blocks to the bus stop and I sat on that bus bench under an umbrella, wearing the standard none waterproof jacket of the 60’s with a fever and I could barely breathe.
We weren’t poor, just the average lower middle class family in Southern California with a mom who didn’t drive. She didn’t have enough cash on hand for a taxi and credit cards weren’t a thing back then. So the only choice was the #7 bus for 12 miles and another 2 block walk from there.
It seldom rains in SoCal. It pretends to rain and never does. But when it finally starts it dumps. Unlike today with apps that tell you when and how hard it will rain, back in the 60’s it was anyones guess what the weather was going to be like. Mom tried to keep me dry. She kept apologizing, “I can’t keep you dry, I so sorry, I can’t carry you.” She was crying harder than it was raining.
After the doctors visit, we went to the nearby pharmacy where the nice pharmacist let me sleep in corner on a hard plastic chair for hours until my Dad got off of work and could take us home.
It took weeks before I could breath normally. I missed 4 weeks of school . Sometimes a little kindness and change can mean a lot to the health and safety of others. Please Advocate for covered transit stops even in Southern California.
Covered transit stops and a few bike lanes really isn’t much to ask for. I’m not sure why people are against some simple changes for the better.
Just last week at the city council meeting in my town, they tried to blame all the bike/car accidents on the homeless. Do only the homeless ride bikes? Do only homeless sit at transit stops? The words homeless and immigrant were used often during that meeting. First off when do 20 year residents stop being labeled as an immigrant? As for the homeless, yes they ride bikes and as a human they have a right to be safe from cars just like anyone else.
Well, I got off topic on my first week of May adventures. But it’s important to let people know that we need to change our thought process. Go to a city council meeting and speak up. Even if you only say the words “I don’t agree. It needs to be better”.