A new bus stop could help students, patients and neighbours. Walking the street together reveals details that a small map cannot show.
01Read the Arabic story
أَيْنَ نَضَعُ مَوْقِفَ الْحَافِلَةِ الْجَدِيدَ؟
دَعَتِ الْبَلَدِيَّةُ سُكَّانَ حَيِّنَا إِلَى اخْتِيَارِ مَكَانٍ لِمَوْقِفِ حَافِلَةٍ جَدِيدٍ. حَضَرْتُ اللِّقَاءَ مَعَ جَدَّتِي، وَحَمَلْتُ خَرِيطَةً صَغِيرَةً لِلشَّارِعِ. اِقْتَرَحْتُ أَنْ يَكُونَ الْمَوْقِفُ أَمَامَ الْمَدْرَسَةِ، لِأَنَّ كَثِيرًا مِنَ الطُّلَّابِ يَرْكَبُونَ الْحَافِلَةَ. وَافَقَنِي بَعْضُ الْجِيرَانِ، لَكِنَّ جَدَّتِي أَشَارَتْ إِلَى الْعِيَادَةِ عِنْدَ الطَّرَفِ الْآخَرِ مِنَ الشَّارِعِ.
قَالَتْ جَدَّتِي إِنَّ الْمَرْضَى يَحْتَاجُونَ أَيْضًا إِلَى طَرِيقٍ سَهْلٍ. فَضَّلَتْ مَكَانًا قُرْبَ بَابِ الْعِيَادَةِ، بَيْنَمَا خَافَ صَاحِبُ مَتْجَرٍ مِنْ أَنْ تَمْنَعَ الْحَافِلَةُ السَّيَّارَاتِ مِنَ الْمُرُورِ. كُنَّا نَنْظُرُ إِلَى النِّقَاطِ عَلَى الْخَرِيطَةِ، وَلَمْ نَتَّفِقْ. عِنْدَئِذٍ اقْتَرَحَتْ مُهَنْدِسَةُ الْبَلَدِيَّةِ أَنْ نَزُورَ الْأَمَاكِنَ قَبْلَ اتِّخَاذِ الْقَرَارِ.
خَرَجْنَا مَعًا وَسِرْنَا عَلَى الرَّصِيفِ. قُرْبَ الْمَدْرَسَةِ كَانَ الرَّصِيفُ ضَيِّقًا، وَقُرْبَ الْعِيَادَةِ كَانَ الشَّارِعُ يَنْحَنِي بِشِدَّةٍ. ثُمَّ وَقَفْنَا أَمَامَ الْمَخْبَزِ بَيْنَ الْمَكَانَيْنِ. هُنَاكَ رَصِيفٌ وَاسِعٌ، وَمَمَرٌّ لِلْمُشَاةِ عَلَى مَسَافَةٍ قَصِيرَةٍ. قَالَتِ الْمُهَنْدِسَةُ إِنَّ هَذَا الْجُزْءَ مُنَاسِبٌ لِتَوَقُّفِ الْحَافِلَةِ، وَإِنَّ السَّائِقَ يَسْتَطِيعُ رُؤْيَةَ الْمُنْتَظِرِينَ بِوُضُوحٍ.
قِسْنَا وَقْتَ الْمَشْيِ مِنَ الْمَخْبَزِ إِلَى الْمَدْرَسَةِ وَالْعِيَادَةِ. اِحْتَجْنَا إِلَى ثَلَاثِ دَقَائِقَ لِلْأُولَى وَأَرْبَعِ دَقَائِقَ لِلثَّانِيَةِ. قُلْتُ: «هَذَا الْمَكَانُ أَبْعَدُ مِنْ بَابِ الْمَدْرَسَةِ، لَكِنَّ الْوُقُوفَ فِيهِ أَسْهَلُ». سَأَلَتْ جَدَّتِي عَنْ مَقْعَدٍ لِلِانْتِظَارِ، فَأَضَافَتِ الْمُهَنْدِسَةُ الطَّلَبَ إِلَى رَسْمِهَا. ثُمَّ سَأَلَتْنَا إِنْ كَانَ أَحَدٌ يَرَى مُشْكِلَةً أُخْرَى.
وَافَقْنَا عَلَى الْمَوْقِعِ الْجَدِيدِ، وَبَعْدَ أُسْبُوعَيْنِ رَكَّبَ الْعُمَّالُ الْعَلَامَةَ وَالْمَقْعَدَ. فِي الصَّبَاحِ الْأَوَّلِ، رَأَيْتُ جَدَّتِي جَالِسَةً تُحَادِثُ جَارَتَهَا، بَيْنَمَا انْتَظَرَ الطُّلَّابُ بِجَانِبِهِمَا. أَخْرَجْتُ خَرِيطَتِي وَنَظَرْتُ إِلَى النُّقْطَةِ الَّتِي اخْتَرْتُهَا أَوَّلًا. ثُمَّ رَسَمْتُ طَرِيقًا مِنَ الْعِيَادَةِ إِلَى الْمَوْقِفِ، وَطَوَيْتُ الْوَرَقَةَ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَصِلَ الْحَافِلَةُ فِي الْمَوْعِدِ الْمُعْتَادِ.
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The council invited the residents of our neighbourhood to choose a location for a new bus stop. I attended the meeting with my grandmother and brought a small map of the street. I suggested putting the stop in front of the school because many students took the bus. Some neighbours agreed with me, but my grandmother pointed to the clinic at the other end of the street.
My grandmother said that patients also needed an easy route. She preferred a place near the clinic entrance, while a shopkeeper worried that the bus would prevent cars from passing. We looked at the points on the map but did not agree. Then the council engineer suggested visiting the places before making the decision.
We went out together and walked along the pavement. Near the school, the pavement was narrow, and near the clinic, the street curved sharply. Then we stopped outside the bakery between the two places. There was a wide pavement there and a pedestrian crossing a short distance away. The engineer said that this section was suitable for the bus to stop and that the driver could clearly see the people waiting.
We timed the walk from the bakery to the school and the clinic. We needed three minutes to reach the first and four minutes to reach the second. I said, “This place is farther away than the school entrance, but standing here is easier.” My grandmother asked about a seat for waiting, so the engineer added the request to her drawing. Then she asked us whether anyone could see another problem.
We agreed on the new location, and two weeks later the workers installed the sign and the seat. On the first morning, I saw my grandmother sitting and talking with her neighbour while students waited beside them. I took out my map and looked at the point I had chosen first. Then I drew a route from the clinic to the stop and folded the paper before the bus arrived at its usual time.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| الْبَلَدِيَّةُ | the local council |
| خَرِيطَةً | a map |
| الْعِيَادَةِ | the clinic |
| الْمُرُورِ | passing; movement of traffic |
| اتِّخَاذِ الْقَرَارِ | making the decision |
| الرَّصِيفُ | the pavement; sidewalk |
| يَنْحَنِي بِشِدَّةٍ | curves sharply |
| مَمَرٌّ لِلْمُشَاةِ | a pedestrian crossing |
| قِسْنَا | we measured |
| طَوَيْتُ الْوَرَقَةَ | I folded the paper |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Look back at the Arabic story when you need a clue. Open the English support if you need help understanding a question.
What to remember
- Follow three different considerations: walking distance, space on the pavement and visibility for the driver.
- The narrator’s final addition to the map suggests a new interest in the needs of clinic visitors.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Arabic Comparatives: Bigger Than and Better Than
أَبْعَدُ مِنْ بَابِ الْمَدْرَسَةِ
Read the comparison between the proposed location and the school entrance, with min introducing the reference point.
Arabic Time and Place Adverbs: Before, After, In Front and Behind
أَمَامَ الْمَدْرَسَةِ
Use amama to locate the original proposal in relation to the school.
