As a Freeport resident, I’m struck on a daily basis with just how many people come in from out of town to walk our streets, go shopping and eat out, and how many of them might have chosen to come by Metro bus and have left their cars at home, if the bus was available.

As a retired high school physics and earth science teacher, I am deeply concerned about the urgency of the climate crisis. Global warming will devastate the global economy, cause widespread conflict and displace millions of people – this is how the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change summarized its latest report released in March. These dire predictions leave many without hope and feeling powerless. However, one small step we can all take locally to deal with the climate crisis is to support the expansion of the Metro bus line to Yarmouth and Freeport.

Improved public transportation will help to reduce the carbon footprint of riders who use the bus, and it would be a boon to commuters of all types – students, workers, day trippers, those who can’t or prefer not to drive, those who bike. Money invested in public transportation has an economic multiplier effect that only helps the local economy. Residential property values from 2006-2011 performed 42 percent better on average if they were located near public transportation with high frequency service. Having good public transportation in place serves as an example of good public policy and encourages us to take the next needed steps in making a just transition to a clean energy economy.

I would encourage Freeport residents to ask the Town Council to do what is right and join the movement to expand public transportation options.

Billy Rixon

Freeport