With respect to the Oregon Department of Transportation's proposals to relieve traffic congestion over the Van Buren bridge: Let's ask them to think again! It makes no sense to be spending our money and resources on building more roads in the face of increasing global warming.

Transportation by individual cars and trucks is one of the two biggest single sources of carbon emissions. Furthermore, it is only a matter of time before the price of gas skyrockets again and people need alternative ways of getting to work anyway.

We should realize we need to discourage individual car transportation and encourage mass transit use. Global warming kills! It is already causing more extreme weather events, fires and floods (Katrina hurricane, Santa Barbara fires). How soon do you suppose it will start cutting food production? People complain about the cost of combating global warming, but don't take into account the cost of global warming already occurring.

The most efficient way to cut down on transportation carbon emissions is to invest in mass transit rather than building more roads. Investing in mass transit even a small portion of the money ODOT plans to invest in road and bridge building could make our city buses and the Linn-Benton Loop much more convenient, running more often and on an extended schedule, and could provide incentives for ridership. Let's get real and think in terms of the future rather than the past!

Rachel Ozretich, Corvallis