To the editor:

The afternoon of Sept. 12, I was at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. I had ridden the T as I no longer drive due to poor eyesight. At 4:30, a tornado warning came over the loudspeaker. We were all ushered to the basement. At 4:45, the all-clear sounded.

I had intended to catch the southbound No. 3 bus at 4:53. I dashed out to the bus shelter. A young lady joined me; she was on her way downtown to a guitar lesson at about 5:15. We called the bus office and were told the buses stopped service so the occupants could seek shelter but were now running late and our bus should be along in about 15 minutes.

The bus came and we rode to Ninth and Massachusetts with the bus radio spewing out instructions for the drivers. At Ninth and Mass., they had the drivers turn around and retrace the half of the route they had just finished. They were now all on time with the correct bus going in the correct direction. I had to change buses at 11th and Mass. to continue south on Bus 3. I arrived home at 5:56, safe and sound and only 40 minutes late. I am sure my bus companion made it to her guitar lesson on time.

What could have been confusion and chaos turned out to be a prime example of coordination and planning.

Please vote “yes” for the two sales tax proposals on Nov. 4. The T is a lifeline for many of us in this community.

Virginia Vickers,
Lawrence