THE GENERAL COURT OF MASSACHUSETTS STATE HOUSE, BOSTON 02133-1053 January 24, 2018 His Excellency Governor Charles Baker Massachusetts State House Office of the Governor Room 360 Boston, MA 02133 Re: Commission on the Future of Transportation in the Commonwealth Dear Governor Baker: We write to express our concems regarding the recently appointed Commission on the Future of Transportation in the Commonwealth, While we understand and respect the Commission's goals of recognizing advancements in transportation and preparing Massachusetts to address these changes as they manifest, we cannot agree completely ‘on a Commission created to address tomorrow's transportation needs while our districts are facing a virtual lack of viable public transportation options today. As you are aware, a portion of the Massachusetts sales tax exclusively funds the MBTA, which is a benefit our constituents do not experience back home. The Berkshire Regional Transit Authority (BRTA) struggles to meet the needs of a region that is increasing in age and poverty while declining steadily in population as it remains difficult for individuals to access services and get to work. In February 2017 alone, the BRTA Advisory Board voted to end ‘two Routes altogether due to a loss of dedicated funding, Transportation has always been a serious issue in the Berkshires, and we would hope that at this point our needs would be further recognized before we began addressing ‘the needs the more heavily urbanized regions of the Commonwealth may face in the future. Again, we understand the premises of the Commission and agree that itis important to address these as we step into the future. However we cannot support these endeavors wholeheartedly knowing that our distriets, which continue to suffer from a serious lack of transportation infrastructure even in the year 2018, were not given an adequate degree of representation. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration of our letter. Please do not hesitate to contact any of our offices for additional information. SMITTY PI ILL, State Representative ‘TRICIA FARLEY- BOUVIER, State Representative 4! Berkshire District 3" Berkshire District Sincerely,Cal) ee PAUL MARK, State Representative a “JOHN BARRETT, State Representative 2" Berkshire District Co A Berkshire District g ‘ADAM G. HINDS, State Senator Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin & Hampden