I read the SF Chronicle every day.  It's my way to begin each day.  I appreciate the letters to the editor,  which give us readers the chance to have our say.  But I wish they wouldn't take out huge hunks of what I say and not even use an ellipsis.

I've put in red what I wrote that they took out.

As a 78-year-old woman who identifies her arthritis as rigor mortis setting in, I share Ray Cardoza’s concern for seniors and people with disabilities and have several friends with mobility issues.  But for safety, health, environment, and equity we need to think outside the car.  I belong to several organizations that consider themselves progressive but disagree with one another on issues like JFK Drive’s becoming JFK Promenade.  I was disappointed that the most vocal opponents didn’t show up for the accessibility tours offered in September 2021, which I’d urged them to attend to make sure their needs were met, their voices heard and also so that they could see possibilities they apparently hadn’t considered:  Additional blue zone parking spaces,  ADA-compliant shuttle buses.  But the only person with a disability who showed up was a woman on a mobility scooter who favored no cars.   A friend who swears by his mobility scooter, which cost less than $800, says it’s easier for him to take Muni than to be driven.    If people have disabilities too severe for them to take public transportation, let’s see whether Paratransit is as much improved as some say it is.  Let’s advocate but not obstruct needed change. 

A friend who reads the SF Chronicle as religiously as I do spotted my letter, and when I showed him all they'd left out, he said the omissions  "de-Tinafy your letter."  He also noticed (which I didn't' at first) that they'd left out everything I had to say about mobility scooters.  I really want people to know about this option!