It’s great that folks are following the Northampton downtown redesign, and looking at it through the lens of climate change. Letter writer Kathryn Argetsinger (“Bus service and downtown’s redesign,” Dec. 18) is spot on about the missing link of public buses, the overlooked and starved stepchild of transportation. I too have noticed that the pandemic has dealt Pioneer Valley Transit Authority bus service some severe blows, and ridership has decreased.
Ben Weil has noted irrefutable research that more car lanes do not lessen traffic over time. Yet we keep chasing that expensive mirage of a solution on that ever-receding horizon —“build more lanes to lessen car congestion.” That is happening right now on Route 9 in Hadley. Cars are about 40% of our carbon emissions in our region. We can cut transportation emissions and save money, by decreasing the infrastructure of cars whenever we redesign our towns and cities.
Public transportation is essential, sustainable and safe! All the money that we save from building new car infrastructure should go directly into making public transit free, safe and robust. We need to spend as much money as we can to make it convenient, efficient and low carbon (electric buses and trains). That is a good way to coax people out of their single occupant cars, particularly for shorter trips. Think of hopping on and off free, frequent, fast and clean buses!
We need to think of public transit as a public good, like fire and police departments, and fund it accordingly. If we had a realistic price on carbon, that showed its true cost to our health, our environment, and our climate, we would not be dithering about how “expensive” it is to fund all that is necessary right now to cut carbon emissions fast! Other forms of energy and ways of living would seem like a bargain in comparison. And along the way, we get to save ourselves and create a better, healthier world.
A crucial resource is HB3292, Green Future Act, which would provide money needed by communities to purchase those electric buses and for other locally controlled green infrastructure projects. Contact co-chairs Rep. Jeffrey Roy (Jeffrey.Roy@mahouse.gov, 617-722-2030) and Sen. Mike Barrett (Mike.Barrett@masenate.gov, 617-722-1572) to urge voting the bill favorably out of the Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy Committee. The bill currently has 80 co-sponsors, including our Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa and Sen. Jo Comerford, as well as neighboring legislators.
The ambitious and worthy carbon emissions reduction goals of the Next Generation Climate Roadmap Bill (S9) and Gov. Charlie Baker’s Clean Energy and Climate Plan have no funding mechanism. With the federal Build Back Better bill in peril, Massachusetts must step up with fortitude and leadership.
And, of course, those great public buses could also accept willing donations from grateful customers who can feel good with every ride. Wouldn’t that be the very definition of win-win?
Kit Sang Boos lives in Northampton.