THE ARTICLE "At a loss" (City & Region, May 18) describes how more people are leaving Massachusetts than are moving here. The article examines causes, such as taxes and the high cost of housing, but it does not mention an important factor that government can do something about: the condition of our roads.
I was born elsewhere and moved here, so I am in a position to compare what is the practice here with what is done in other states. In Massachusetts, white lines are not kept bright and visible, road signs on most street corners do not tell the names of both streets so that a driver can know what street he is on, and in complicated intersections the street signs and white lines often do not delineate where the driver should be. This is not the case in other states where I have driven, such as Arizona and California.
Lack of attention to these details leaves the impression that in Massachusetts government does not care, and that may be another reason why people are moving away.
RONALD ABRAMSON
Ashland
