published Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011 Put the brakes on StarMetro changes The new StarMetro bus system has failed to meet its goals. It has not made riders' commute times shorter, and it is not persuading people to ride instead of drive. Why would someone leave the air-conditioned comfort of a personal vehicle to stand on the side of the road and wait for a bus that will probably be late if it comes at all? There are two ways to fix the mess that Ron Garrison has made of StarMetro. The first would be to go back to the old system, but everyone with the city says that will never happen. The other requires more money: StarMetro needs more buses. It also needs more shelters (it gets hot standing at the side of the road). The change to the new system was poorly planned and poorly executed. Anyone should have realized that this massive change could not be accomplished in a cost-neutral manner. It would have been better to leave things as they were; as it is, the city will have to pay for its mistakes. OWEN B. McCAUL mccaulo@xxxxxxxxxxxx