LYNN — After an MBTA bus got stuck on Exchange Street Monday afternoon, The Item’s Circulation Manager Lisa Mahmoud helped direct bewildered motorists around the bus and a large snowbank.
The incident occurred outside of The Item’s office, which prompted Mahmoud to jump out of her chair and take control of the situation.
“I never saw an MBTA bus back up like that so it made me wonder what was going on,” Mahmoud said. “I noticed the cars were backing up and there was a lady who looked like she didn’t know how to make the turn, and she went out of her car to shovel the snow pile and so I guided her out and a bunch of other cars.”
The bus was stuck on Exchange Street outside of the old Hotel Edison building — which now houses The Item and a number of other offices — for about 20 minutes due to a white Denali truck parked on the right side of the street and a large snowbank in the middle of the intersection.
This predicament was preventing the bus driver from making a right turn onto Broad Street. The bus blocked cars traveling in both directions on Exchange Street and caused a traffic backup down Broad Street. Eventually, the owner of the Denali moved his vehicle and the bus was able to make the turn.
The scene was reminiscent of other traffic headaches seen across the city in the days following a two-day blizzard that dumped about two feet of snow from Friday night to Saturday night. In a Facebook post released by Mayor Jared Nicholson on Monday, the city said the Department of Public Works (DPW) was continuing its efforts to plow, sand and widen streets; these efforts, the city said, would continue into Tuesday morning.
“We know that this storm has made traveling around the city difficult and we appreciate everyone’s patience, cooperation and hard work to clear up from the storm,” the city’s post read.
Mahmoud said she decided to help direct traffic when she noticed that no one would help a woman who was shoveling the snowbank that was causing the issue.
“I saw men passing by her and no one else was going to her and that’s why I decided to help,” Mahmoud said. “Help your brother.”
One witness, Karen Gonzalez of Lynn, said she thought the city’s DPW should have been more proactive and efficient in removing the snow so that these events don’t happen again.
“I think the city should have cleaned it more,” she said. “It looks like the bus doesn’t fit due to the snowbank.”
However, DPW Commissioner Andrew Hall said his department is working around the clock to remove snow and clear city streets.
“We have three loaders and six dump trucks,” said Hall. “There’s going to be issues like this in a storm. There’s no room to put the snow.”
