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# Greenies shouldn’t hate on drivers
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/greenies-shouldnt-hate-on-drivers-editor/
- Published: 2007-04-07T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T00:26:03.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Ocean Park, #archive-import

*By Helen Porter Santa Monica*

At times, it is almost amusing to listen to certain citizens and certain people at Santa Monica City Hall pontificate about riding bicycles and buses as we go about doing the necessary chores of our daily lives. I am retired and live south of Ocean Park Boulevard. Bus #8 suffices if I need to go to UCLA. The senior fare beats the parking fee at UCLA and time-wise it is about equal for driving. To go to the area of 14th (Street) and Wilshire (Boulevard) — which I consider the hub of the business districts — riding a bus is not so good. The cross-town bus is OK. To go back south, one must go north first. That is not OK. This is where the system fails. Most of us want to finish our errands and then return home.

Many areas of the city are not even accessible to bus stops. Many people have children that must be taken to appointments or elderly who need to be transported to schools or physicians appointments. Last Saturday, while at the hairdresser on Wilshire, at least three women came in with walking assist devices and a companion. These people will not be using buses as they are unsteady on their feet.

During the past two years, I have done a family genealogy and bringing home 2,500 sheets of paper on a bus is impossible. Going shopping for groceries for a family is not easily done by bus. Three or four bags of groceries are heavy and could easily end up on the street if one gets bad bags.

To all young males who advocate using bicycles for transportation, do so by all means. But keep in mind the variety of folks who live here and cannot do so. At some point, if you marry or get two dogs that need to go to the vet these things require auto transit. Or if your doctor is not in town, good luck in getting there. Be sure to patronize the businesses that the rest of us do if you wish to close the streets to auto traffic. We can go elsewhere.

I would say that most people in Santa Monica do not drive for amusement around Santa Monica. For those of us who are busy or work at home, time is of the essence.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 7, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/040707.pdf?ref=smdp.com)