EDITORIAL
Illuminating bus stop ought to be easy
Every now and then we see a clear example of the frustrating effects of bureaucracy. The case of the city's delay in lighting a crime-plagued bus stop on Ala 'Ilima Street in Salt Lake fits that bill.
For months residents in the area, many of them elderly, have been asking for a powerful light to be installed at the shelter to discourage crime and intimidation.
At night, we're told, the dimly lit area is a magnet for drug dealers and gang members. Two men were stabbed there in August, and some elderly residents have reportedly been mugged. One reason for the shelter's popularity among offenders? Its location at the bottom of a hill makes it easier to see police vehicles approaching from afar and flee in the nick of time.
But the wheels of bureaucracy have been grinding agonizingly slowly on this issue. A light was ordered, but it had to be sent back because it was the wrong kind. Now it looks as though the installation will take a couple more months. This ought to be a simple job.
Granted, the city doesn't light bus shelters as a rule. But in the case of high-crime areas, it ought to make an exception. And in the case of the Ala 'Ilima bus stop, the city should fix this problem now.
