When I dream about a harmonious society here in the Valley, it includes a well-functioning and interconnected public transportation system to provide the bones of that community. There is fast and frequent train service between Boston, Springfield and beyond, and better service to New York City. Feeder buses connect trains with our towns and towns with each other. And smaller, electric trolleys are in constant motion within each town, with frequent stops to join shoppers with stores and restaurants. I am certainly in favor of electric automobiles and trucks, but they should only be a part of our de-carbonized future. They have drawbacks, including heavy batteries whose weight can be unkind to some surfaces. The mining process for battery components, with all the digging, crushing, and smelting involved is itself a pollutant. And with much of the mining done in other countries, there is a security issue as well. Lastly, they add to our already overburdened, expensive, and environmentally challenged roads. Think how the parking and pavement problems in Northampton and Easthampton could be alleviated by better public transportation. Better transit means reduced asphalt, less road widening and repair, and therefore more open space. The roads between the towns could be planned around transit nodes, avoiding the ugly and dangerous auto-driven commercialization that draws development away from our downtowns and crushes the human spirit. The planet awaits. I hope our government officials, and the people, will respond.

Ethel S. White

Easthampton