Storrowed

The latest inexcusable, totally avoidable accident on Storrow Drive at the Longfellow Bridge should prompt state officials to crack down on these incidents. There are plenty of signs listed miles ahead stating the height of the bridge. As for companies that routinely drive this route, there is no excuse for not taking an alternate route when they know their trucks cannot clear the bridge.

It’s time for the state to do these three things to companies that willingly violate the rules. One: a year’s ban of them driving their trucks in the state of Massachusetts. Two: the truck driver’s license to drive in Massachusetts suspended for a year. And finally: the bill for the repairs sent to the company employing the driver. The taxpayers of Massachusetts should not have to pay for the negligence of  others.

Paul J. Baranofsky

Waltham

Electric grid

The article by Terry Jarrett (“EPA is mandating electricity shortfalls,” May 10, Boston Herald) presents a one-sided argument. The assertion that we risk blackouts due to the replacement of coal plants with renewable sources is a scare tactic. A transition to renewable power is not only doable, but also economically viable and morally crucial.

Yes, there will be challenges, but they should make us innovate, not deter us. Advancements such as battery storage and grid-scale energy storage are already proving their worth. Moreover, the job creation potential in the renewable sector far surpasses that of the fossil fuel industry.

The “recipe for disaster” Jarrett writes about is not the transition to clean energy but the peril of continuing to burn fossil fuels. We must act fast, courageously and comprehensively in our transition to cleaner renewable energy. No one wants electricity rationing and blackouts, but those might be minor inconveniences compared to a future of climate disasters.

Lili Flanders

Truro

Transfer tax

I am writing to voice my opposition to a proposed sales tax on real estate transfers. I respectfully request that our legislators support their constituents by advocating for its removal from Housing Bond Bill H.4138.

A new sales tax on real estate purchases is extremely unfair to many people, especially older citizens who have worked their whole life to hold onto a house for equity in their retirement. With the price of homes going up, this would include many people on fixed and moderate incomes, not the extremely wealthy that you may have assumed. It would also make a bad situation worse. Multiple studies have shown that sales taxes on homes depress the number of sales. At a time when home sales are already at historic lows, working families cannot afford a further decline in housing availability.

Joan Gonfrade

Ashland