DEAR EDITOR:

If recent gas prices haven’t revealed the limitations of our transportation system, then I don’t know what would.

While there are numerous weaknesses to systems that have been structured and designed around the automobile, the nature of many issues they exacerbate are abstract and difficult to grasp. Either because they are so embedded in our society that they’ve become invisible, or their repercussions are not felt in the daily lives of many — a privilege not afforded to those less fortunate.

Consider climate change. Most people can acknowledge that a changing climate is reality. But, it can feel distant to Midwest populations that are largely shielded from its acute effects, such as displacement caused by extreme weather events and dwindling coastlines.

And poverty. While nobody would deny that poverty exists, the daily struggles and trade-offs to make ends meet — the true lived experience of poverty — is not something that can be easily understood, regardless of one’s level of empathy and compassion.

However, with gas nearing $5 per gallon, I’ve experienced conversations that reveal the financial burdens of autocentricity have bled across social lines. This shared burden may be the greatest benefit of rising prices. It’s not only those in poverty hindered by cost of regular trips. More people can now relate to the implications of being car-dependent and frustrated that there are no other viable options by which to get around. More people also can incite great change.

It is valuable to understand systems in which we operate today are products of decades of decision-making — and by exercising the power of a true democracy, we can create the world in which we want to live. Transportation can intensify divisiveness, or it can be a great equalizer. It is up to us. But one thing is certain; as more people feel the need to skip a trip and stay home, the economic and social repercussions will be difficult to escape.

I ask people of the Valley to reimagine lives they want to live and how they will be more actively engaged in making sure their elected officials and public representatives represent that vision, not the capitalistic story that’s been written by decades of investment in the private automobile. We have an advantage over the car. We have the power to unite and demand action for a prosperous future.

SAMANTHA YANNUCCI

Struthers