To the editor:

This past Saturday afternoon, we abandoned our cars, boarded the T and rode it downtown. We arrived to a typical Mass Street scene — Saturday afternoon gridlock. With no worries about parking, we headed directly to the Mad Greek for a relaxing lunch, then strolled the streets of our city, enjoying the summer breeze, local art and people-watching.

I often see letters complaining about the lack of riders on the bus. I imagine most of these folks have cars, but there are many in Lawrence who do not, out of choice or necessity. Some people worry about riding the T. Perhaps they are afraid they will meet someone who is a little different, a little unusual. To us, the best thing that community services can do is bring people together, so that they can notice that their similarities are greater than their differences.

We plan on making T trips a part of our routine, for a number of reasons: reducing our stress with this change of pace, supporting a valuable community service and decreasing the number of cars on the road. We encourage other car owners to consider doing the same, perhaps once a month. It’s a great change of pace, and increased usage will insure that the T is around for those who need it.

Karen and Mark Roberts,

Lawrence