“No one gives a damn,” concluded Barbara Baldwin (Letters, Jan. 16), chastising the responsiveness of the Spokane Transit Authority and the media’s coverage thereof in the face of December’s record-breaking snowfall. I’d like to say she’s overreaching, but the dismal cleanup of sidewalks and intersections a week and a half past the last measurable snow belies such optimism.

What’s the point in having buses up and running on schedule if no one keeps the bus access points clear of snow and ice? A lot of seniors and disabled citizens ride our community’s buses. How are they supposed to get around when it takes physical prowess of Olympic proportions to scale the slick and sloppy berms created by our snow removal efforts?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not lambasting area road crews. I’m saying we need to add another step to the cleanup process.

We’re all familiar with adopt-a-highway beautification programs. How hard would it be to organize teams of volunteers to dig out bus stops every mile or so along major routes after big storms? The STA could cultivate abundant goodwill if it would spearhead such a project.

Let’s get creative! Couldn’t that take the sting out of any fare increase?

Catherine D. Willis

Spokane