To the editor:

I am concerned that the City Commission is hastening the demise of public transportation in Lawrence.

I have previously suggested increasing the parking meter charges, greatly increasing the fines and, most significantly, increasing the parking meter hours until 3 a.m. The bars close at 2 a.m. There would still be time to clear the streets before the morning business hours. The only extra expense would be more meter readers, and the rest of the increased income should be put into the till for the T to increase the service hours, not to cut the hours. I have not heard or received any feedback on this proposal.

Now I have another suggestion. Because one of the major budgetary concerns is repairing and resurfacing the city streets, we can drastically reduce this. Let’s only resurface the streets that carry the T. We need to do this in order to provide smooth rides and reduce maintenance costs on the buses (a real public expense). Let’s leave the other streets until we can afford to fix them or until neighborhoods find a solution. Actually we could designate potholes and bumpy roads as natural “traffic-calming devices” thus saving money from that category of the budget as well.

Let’s make public transportation a priority in Lawrence.

We are no longer a village; we are a city. Cities have reliable, affordable public transportation.

Save the T!

Saunny Scott,

Lawrence