(Ed.s Note: Not a day goes by that we don't get photos like this sent to us depicting children and the elderly patiently waiting for a bus under a burning sun. One of our seven readers said he or she took the photo as they approached Hackberry Lane on Old Port Isabel Road."The temperature was almost 100 degrees and with the humidity it felt like 108 or 110, and this grandmother and her little girl were waiting for the approaching bus," they wrote. "When you think of the millions the city has spent on real-estate speculation downtown and those nonsensical bike and hike trails, you wonder where the elected officials' priorities lie."
They have a point. Just one road over (off Paredes Line Road) a deluxe bike and hike trail is offered well-heeled bikers who can take a leisurely cruise around town and enjoy the ride. If they get tired, attractive rest shelters have been installed by the city for them to take a break.
If it's after dark, the city has implemented a glow stone trail project with a budget of $90,000 from department funds so they can't lose their way.
On the other hand, many times BUS riders have to wait under the baking sun or in rain or cold. And we have posted here before that the bus shelters procured by the BUS contractors lie unassembled in their bus barns.
Aside from not providing riders with shelter from sun and rain, there are few benches for the people to use. Whenever the question of shelters arises, it is predictable that the managers of BUS will announce publicly that they have just spent gazillions to buy chingos of them. But where are they?Shame, indeed.)