LETTER: Snow Piles Left by the Blizzard Make Watertown's Bus Stops Dangerous

Dear Editor,

I am a resident of Watertown who lives on Chapman Street. To go to work, I take the 70 bus down Main Street to Watertown Square, where I then transfer to the 71 bus to Harvard Square. I do the same at night. [Tuesday], I went to my doctor's office at Harvard Vanguard near the Arsenal Mall. This was my experience.

I got off the 70 bus on Arsenal Street just in front of those apartment buildings before the mall. The sidewalks in front of the mall were not cleaned. So, I went up a side street where there is a parking lot. Usually there is a gate opening there. No luck. I had to CLIMB a snowbank on my hands and knees (literally) to get to my doctor's office. After the appointment, I went down to the bus stop in front of the mall, near Best Buy. I had to walk on Arsenal Street to get to it. None of the crosswalks was plowed. People getting off the bus there had to go downhill on a slippery foot path to get to the mall. I saw a woman trying to navigate it with a cane. I believe she fell.

That was this Tuesday morning.

Tuesday night, I got off the 71 bus and walked to the bus stop in front of CVS. There was no route into it, no route away from it, except walking on Main Street, at night, in traffic. Yes, we have a School for the Blind in Watertown, as well as Cerebral Palsy workshops. Aside from folks who have special needs, there are mothers, grandmothers, children - walking in the street. This is appalling! Can't someone do something about these bus stops?  

My bus stop near home is right across from the Police Station. There are no clear sidewalks. I had to walk in traffic on Main Street to get to Chapman Street, in the dark. SO DANGEROUS!

I would hate for someone to get hit by a car here, and I'm sure the town would lose a very hefty lawsuit if it happened...  

I've attached two photos of the bus stop in front of CVS for your reader's enjoyment... 

Thank you for your kind attention to my ramblings!

Karen Wood

Watertown Resident