I read your January 5 article in the Current and I would like you to know that there was not just one person unhappy with the changes made to the bus routes as stated in the beginning of the article. I just stopped complaining because I wasn’t being heard, not because I was no longer unhappy with the way our current bus routes are.

On October 19, 2005, I wrote a rather lengthy letter to Anne-Mayre Dexter concerning our road and my husband appeared in front of the Safety Committee to state our concerns. In brief, we told them that we live on Berry Road, which is not a legal width road and has no sidewalks and that it can be a tight squeeze for two vehicles to pass each other.

This road was made a one way for those coming through Clover Leaf Development because of concerns of accidents upon exiting Berry Road onto Beech Ridge. Supposedly only those of us who live on Berry Road may use it as a two-way road, although this is not always the case. I was told the Safety Committee came and reviewed the road and decided it was safe for my 9 and 12-year-old children to stand on the end of a road that is barely wide enough for two vehicles, and also allow them to cross busy Beech Ridge Road at the base of hill that was marked for concern.

It was this hill that led to the decision to make Berry Road a one-way for those exiting because of a concern for accidents there. My two children do not board the bus at the same time, and there are no other children at our stop, so consequently they are alone and without any supervision if I don’t drive them to the bus stop.

This did not concern the safety committee because they believe it is my responsibility and mine alone to deal with the safety of my child. In other words…our concerns fell on deaf ears.

I had an incident last week after a snow event where I was sitting at the end of Berry Road in my car with my 9 year-old daughter waiting for the bus when a plow approached and tried to come into

Berry Road, but could not make the turn with me parked there because the road is so narrow. My daughter had to get out of the car and into the snowbank and I had to leave her and back up over 500 yards to my driveway so he could come down our road. The plow blade was huge and just about took the whole width of the road. I noticed as I was backing up that the gentleman driving the plow stopped to say something to my daughter. I later asked her what it was he said, and she said that the man said to “watch out.”

This will most certainly be the last time I move my vehicle to let the plow in. The plow will have to proceed down the Beech Ridge Road because I will not leave my daughter alone standing there in a snow bank again. As in issue of safety, this should never have been allowed to happen in the first place and my daughter should be picked up at her house.

I hope Mr. Michaud sees that this is cause to review our bus stop.

If he doesn’t think Berry Road has some safety issues I can’t imagine what constitutes one. I will be expecting some changes made.

Michelle Lawson

Scarborough